The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades
by Yugioash
Summary: Separated from the group, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of a Titan, a Giant and two Hekatonkheires. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble while making their own allies.
1. Hazel's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades**

 **Hazel's POV Part I**

From the moment we left to meet our missing two comrades at the House of Hades and the Doors of Death, we already had three boulders thrown at us and during the third attack, I almost ate a boulder.

I was peering into the fog, wondering how it could be so difficult to fly across one stupid mountain range, when the ship's alarm bells sounded.

"Hard to port!" my brother Nico yelled from the foremast of the flying ship.

Back at the helm, Leo yanked the wheel. The _Argo II_ veered left, it's aerial oars slashing through the clouds like rows of knives.

I made the mistake of looking over the rail. A dark spherical shape hurtled toward me. I thought: _Why is the moon coming at us?_ Then I yelped and hit the deck. The huge rock passed so close overhead it blew my hair out of my face.

 _CRACK!_

The foremast collapsed—sail, spars, and Nico all crashing to the deck. The boulder, roughly the size of a pickup truck, tumbling off into the fog like it had important business elsewhere.

"Nico!" I scrambled over to him as Leo brought the ship level.

"I'm fine," Nico muttered, kicking folds of canvas off his legs.

I helped him up, and we stumbled to the bow. I peeked over more carefully this time and saw what we were facing. The clouds parted just long enough to reveal the top of the mountain below us: a spearhead of black rock jutting from mossy green slopes. Standing at the summit as a mountain god—one of the _numina montanum_ , Jason called them. Or _ourae,_ in Greek. Either way you called them, they were nasty.

Like the others we faced, this one wore a simple white tunic over skin as rough as dark as basalt. He was about twenty feet tall and extremely muscular, with a flowing white beard, shaggy hair, and a wild look in his eyes like a crazy hermit. He bellowed something I didn't understand, but it obviously wasn't welcoming. With his bare hands, he pried another chunk of rock from his mountain and began shaping it into a ball.

The scene disappeared in the fog, but when the mountain god bellowed again, other _numina_ answered in the distance, their voices echoing through the valleys.

"Stupid rock gods!" Leo yelled from the helm. "That's the _third_ time I've had to replace that mast! You think they grow on trees?"

Nico frowned. "Masts _are_ from trees."

"That's not the point!" Leo snatched up one of his controls, rigged from a Nintendo Wii stick (another modern technology I'm still trying to make sense out of), and spun it in a circle. A few feet away a trapdoor opened in the deck. A Celestial bronze cannon rose. I just had time to cover my ears before it discharged into the sky, spraying a dozen metal spheres that trailed green Greek fire for extra damage. The spheres grew spikes in midair, like helicopter blades, and hurtled away into the fog.

A moment later, a series of explosions crackled across the mountains, followed by the outraged roars of mountain gods.

"Ha!" Leo yelled.

Unfortunately, the mountain gods were—of course—gods, which means even Greek fire won't destroy them, but will annoyed them.

Just then another boulder whistled through the air off to our starboard side.

Nico yelled, "Get us out of here!"

Leo muttered some unflattering comments about _numina_ , but he turned the wheel. The engines hummed. The magical riggings lashed itself tight, and the ship tacked to port. The _Argo II_ picked up speed, retreating northwest, as we'd been doing for the past two days.

I didn't relax until we were out of the mountains. The fog cleared and below us, the morning sunlight illuminated the Italian countryside—rolling green hills and golden fields not too different from those in Northern California. I could almost imagine I was sailing home to Camp Jupiter.

Unfortunately, the thought seemed to weighed down on my chest. Ever since Nico brought me back from the Underworld nine months ago, Camp Jupiter had been my home. I missed it more than my birthplace of New Orleans, and _definitely_ more than Alaska, here I'd died back in 1942.

I missed my bunk in the Fifth Cohort barracks. I missed dinners in the mess hall, with wind spirits whisking platters through the air and legionnaires joking about the war games. I wanted to wander the streets of New Rome, holding hands with my caring boyfriend Frank Zhang. I wanted to experience just being a regular girl for once.

Most of all, I wanted to feel safe. I was tired of being scared and worried all the time.

I stood on the quarterdeck as Nico picked mast splinters out of his arms and Leo punched buttons on the ship's control consol.

"Well _that_ was sucktastic," Leo said. "Should I wake the others?"

I was tempted to say yes, but the other crew members had taken the night shift and had earned their rest. They were exhausted from defending the ship every few hours from every Roman monster that decided that the _Argo II_ look like a tasty treat.

A few weeks ago, I wouldn't have believed that anyone could sleep through a _numina_ attack, but now I imagined my friends and boyfriend was still snoring away below decks. When we left Rome we agreed to take shifts with three demigods (Plus Coach Hedge taking the wheel when Leo's shift is over) watching the ship and when our shift is over, I plan to sleep like a coma patient.

"They need rest," I said. "We'll have to figure out another way on our own."

"Huh." Leo scowled at his monitor. In his tattered work shirt and grease-splattered jeans, he looked like he's just lost a wrestling match with a locomotive.

Ever since our friends Percy and Annabeth had fallen nonstop, Leo had been spending every waking moment working nonstop. If it wasn't for Coach Hedge stopping him to get some sleep, Leo probably would work twenty-four hours. It was if he was even more driven than usual by his anger.

I was worried about him. But part of me was relieved by the change. Whenever Leo smiled and joked, he looked _too_ much like Sammy, his great-grandfather… my first boyfriend, back in 1942.

Ugh, why did my life have to be so complicated?

"Another way," Leo muttered. "Do you see one?"

On his monitor glowed a map of Italy. The Apennine Mountains ran down the middle of the boot-shaped country. A green dot for the _Argo II_ blinked on the western side of the range, a few hundred miles north of Rome. Our path should have been simple. We needed to get to a place called Epirus in Greece and find an old temple called the House of Hades (or Pluto, as the Romans called him; or as I liked to think of him: The World's Worst Absent Father).

To reach Epirus, all we had to do was go straight east—over the Apennines and across the Adriatic Sea. But every time we tried to cross the spine of Italy, the mountain gods attacked, making our journey difficult.

For the past two days we'd skirted north, hoping to find a safe pass, but with no luck. The _numina montanum_ were sons of Gaea, my least favorite goddess. That made them _very_ determined enemies. The _Argo II_ couldn't fly high enough to avoid their attacks; and even with all its defenses, the ship couldn't make it across the range without being smashed to pieces.

"It's our fault," I said. "Nico's and mine. The _numina_ can sense us."

I glanced at my half-brother. Ever since we rescued him from the giants, he'd started regaining his strength, but he was still painfully thin. His black shirt and jeans hung off his skeletal frame. Long dark hair framed his sunken eyes. His olive complexion had turned a sickly greenish white, like the color of tree sap.

I bet if our other sibling—Nico's sister from the same mother and my half-sister: Bianca di Angelo—saw him now, she probably hardly recognized him. Fortunately—or rather unfortunately—Bianca joined the Hunters of Artemis (to the Romans Diane) before Nico found me. Forever immortalized as a twelve-year-old girl I been told. In fact, I never met her, and if it wasn't for that dream vision Percy had involving the Hunters and the Amazons joining forces in Artemis—or Diane's—absence against a common threat, I would still be wondering if Bianca knows anything about me yet.

As for Nico, in human years he was barely fourteen, just a year older than me, but that didn't tell the whole story. Like me, Nico and Bianca di Angelo both are demigods from another era. Nico himself radiated a kind of _old_ energy—a melancholy that came from knowing he didn't belong in the modern world.

I didn't know him very long, but I understood, even shared, his sadness. The children of Hades (Pluto—whichever) rarely had happy lives. Bianca was lucky enough to be welcomed by Artemis (Diane). But Nico still struggled from time to time. And judging from what he told me the night before, our challenge was yet to come when we reached the House of Hades—a challenge he'd implored me to keep secret from the others even though they might have an idea due since closing the Doors of Death was a test on the Prophecy of Seven.

Nico gripped the hilt of his Stygian iron sword. "Earth spirits don't like children of the Underworld. That's true. We get under their skin— _literally_. But I think the _numina_ could sense this ship anyway. We're carrying the Athena Parthenos. That thing is like a magical beacon."

I shivered, thinking of the massive statue that took up most of the hold. We'd sacrificed so much saving it from the cavern under Rome; but we had no idea what to do with it. Piper's mom Aphrodite (or Venus) said if the Fates allow it, Annabeth will be able to return it the proper way that will bring peace between the Greeks and Romans. But Annabeth was in Tartarus with Percy and the Fates have yet send us a sign on what to do with the statue, leaving us with nothing to do about Athena Parthenos except having to deal with monsters that are alerted by its presence.

Leo traced his finger down the map of Italy. "So crossing the mountains is out. Thing is, they go a long way either direction."

"We could go by sea," I suggested. "Sail around the southern tip of Italy."

"That's a long way," Nico said. "Plus, we don't have…" His voice cracked. "You know… our sea expert, Percy."

The name hung in the air like an impending storm.

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon… probably the demigod I admired most. He'd brought honor back to the Fifth Cohort (which probably was taken away when evil possessing spirits possessed Leo to attack New Rome and Jason Frank Percy and I left Camp Jupiter in the chaos), and saved my life so many times on our quest to Alaska; but when he had needed my help in Rome, I'd failed him. I'd watched, powerless, as he and Annabeth had plunged into that pit.

I took a deep breath. Percy and Annabeth were still alive. I knew that in my heart. I could _still_ help them if I could get to the House of Hades, if I could survive the challenge Nico warned me about…

"What about continuing north?" I asked. "There _has_ to be a break in the mountains, or something."

Leo fiddled with one of his bronze Archimedes sphere that he'd installed on the console—his newest and most dangerous toys. The other one was in his cabin (probably so he can figure out how to use it as well). Every time I looked at that thing, my mouth went dry. I worried that Leo would turn the wrong combination on the sphere and accidentally eject us all from the deck, or blow up the ship, or turn the _Argo II_ into a giant toaster.

Fortunately, we got lucky. The sphere grew a camera lens and projected a 3-D image of the Apennine Mountains above the console.

"I dunno." Leo examined the hologram. "I don't see any good passes to the north. But I like that idea better than backtracking south. I'm done with Rome."

No arguments against that. Too be honest, I had enough of Rome from the moment Gaea tried to lock up Leo Frank and me underground so she can use Frank and me as her sacrifices.

"Whatever we do," Nico said, "we have to hurry. Every day that Annabeth and Percy are in Tartarus…"

He didn't need to finish. We had to hope Percy and Annabeth could survive long enough to find the Tartarus side of the Doors of Death. Then, assuming the _Argo II_ could reach the House of Hades, we _might_ be able to open the Doors on the mortal side, save our friends, and seal the entrance, stopping Gaea's forces from being reincarnated in the mortal world over and over.

Yes… nothing could go wrong with _that_ plan.

Nico scowled at the Italian country side below us. "Maybe we _should_ wake the others. This decision affects us all."

"No," I said. "We can find a solution."

I wasn't sure why I felt so strongly about it, but since leaving Rome, the crew had started to lose its cohesion. We'd been learning to work as a team. Then _bam_ … our most important members fell into Tartarus. Juno once told Percy he was the glue that held us together, and I never realized how right she was until after he let go of the edge. As for Annabeth, she's our battle strategist, consultant. She'd recovered the Athena Parthenos single-handedly. She was the smartest of the seven, the one with the answer. Even Jason admitted that Annabeth was practically one of the leaders of our quest.

If I woke up the rest of the crew every time we had a problem, we'd just start arguing again, feeling more and more hopeless.

I had to make Percy and Annabeth proud of me. I had to take the initiative as daughter of Pluto once more. I couldn't believe my only role in this quest would be what Nico warned me of—removing the obstacle waiting for us in the House of Hades. I pushed the thought aside.

"We need some creative thinking," I said. "Another way to cross those mountains, or a way to hide ourselves from the _numina_."

Nico sighed. "If I was on my own, I could shadow travel. But that won't work for an entire ship. And even if I teach it to you, Hazel, it won't work in the land of the dead."

Nico had promised me that one day he would try and teach me how to shadow travel (if it was possible for me to learn). Since it was more of a power over shadows especially underground, there was a small chance I could do it. However, I been waiting until my brother was back in top shape after being captured by the giants to teach me to bring it up.

But the way Nico said that told me it wouldn't matter. Even calling on Pluto would be a very bad idea. And yet…

 _Please, Dad,_ I found myself praying. _I_ have _to find a way to your temple in Greece—the House of Hades. If you're down there, show me what to do._

At the edge of the horizon, a flicker of movement caught my eye—something small and beige racing across the fields at incredible speed, leaving a vapor trail like a plane's.

I couldn't believe it. I didn't dare hope, but it _had_ to be… "Arion."

"What?" Nico asked.

Leo let out a happy whoop as the dust cloud got closer. "It's her horse, man! You missed the whole part. We haven't seen him since Kansas!"

I laughed for the first time in days. It felt so good to see my old friend.

About a mile north, the small beige dot circled a hill and stopped at the summit. He was difficult to make out, but when the horse reared and whinnied, the sound carried all the way to the _Argo II_. I had no doubt—it was Arion. And—although I wouldn't admit it right away—but seeing the immortal horse-son of Poseidon gave me a little bit of new hope in saving Percy and Annabeth—as if Arion was a new sign of hope in our quest.

"We have to meet him," I said. "He's here to help."

"Yeah, okay," Leo scratched his head. "But, uh, we talked about not landing the ship on the ground anymore, remember? You know, with Gaea wanting to destroy us and all."

"Just get me close, and I'll use the rope ladder." My heart was pounding. "I think Arion wants to tell me something."

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for being patient everyone.


	2. Hazel's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part II**

I had never felt so happy. Well, except maybe when I kissed Frank for the first time after we took down Alcyoneus… but this was a close second.

As soon as I reached the ground, I ran to Arion and threw my arms around him. "I missed you!" I pressed my face into the horse's warm neck, which smelled of sea salt and wheat (which I guess shouldn't be surprising since Arion is the son of Poseidon _and_ Demeter). "Where have you been?"

Arion nickered. I wish I could speak to horses like Percy could, but I got the general idea. Arion sounded impatient, as if saying. _No time for sentiment, girl! Come on!_

"You want me to go with you?" I guessed.

Arion bobbed his head, trotting in place. His dark brown eyes gleamed with urgency.

I still couldn't believe he was actually here. I mean, yeah he could run across any surface, even the sea and is a free spirit kind of horse; but I'd been afraid he wouldn't follow us into the ancient lands. Even if it was Arion's home land just like it is to all the gods, giants, and monsters, it's also Gaea's home turf, which makes the Mediterranean even more dangerous for any demigod and their allies.

Arion wouldn't have come unless I was in dire need. And he seemed so agitated… Anything that could make a fearless horse skittish should have terrified me.

Instead, I felt elated. I was _so_ tired of being seasick and airsick. Aboard the _Argo II_ , I felt about as useful as a box of ballast. I was glad to be back on solid ground, even it _was_ Gaea's territory. I was ready to ride.

"Hazel!" Nico called down from the ship. "What's going on?"

"It's fine!" I crouched down and summoned a gold nugget from the earth. Now that the curse was washed away (at least I hope it did) I been improving my control over my powers. Precious stones hardly ever popped up around me by accident anymore, and pulling gold from the ground was easy.

I fed Arion the nugget… his favorite snack. Then I smiled up at Leo and Nico, who were watching me from the top of the ladder a hundred feet above. "Arion wants to take me somewhere."

The boys exchanged nervous looks.

"Uh…" Leo pointed north. "Please tell me he's not taking you into _that_?"

I been so focus on Arion; I didn't notice the disturbance a mile away. On a crest of the next hill, a storm had gathered over some old stones ruins—maybe the remains of a Roman temple or fortress. A funnel cloud snaked its way down toward the hill like an inky black finer.

My mouth had the sudden taste of blood. I looked at Arion. "You want to go _there_?"

Arion whinnied, which I guess was, _Uh, duh!_

Well… I asked for help and I got Arion who wants to take me to the heart of a storm. Was this my dad's answer?

I hope so, but I sensed something besides Pluto at work in that storm… something dark, powerful, and not necessarily friendly.

Still, this was my chance to help my friends—to lead instead of follow. To step up for real as a child of the Big Three.

I tightened the straps of my Imperial gold cavalry sword and climbed onto Arion's back.

"I'll be okay!" I called up to Nico and Leo. "Stay put and wait for me."

"Wait for how long?" Nico asked. "What if you don't come back?"

"Don't worry, I will," I promised, hoping it was true and not an oath I made on my final breath.

I spurred Arion, and we shot across the countryside, heading straight for the growing tornado.


	3. Hazel's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part III**

The storm swallowed the hill in a swirling cone of black vapor as Arion charged straight into it.

Soon enough, I found myself at the summit, but it felt like a different dimension. The world lost its color. The walls of the storm encircled the hill in murky black. The sky churned gray. The crumbling ruins were bleached so white, they almost glowed. Even Arion turned from caramel brown and beige to a dark shade of ash.

In the eye of the tempest, the air as still. My skin tingled coolly, as if I'd been rubbed with alcohol. In front of me, an arched gateway led through mossy walls into some sort of enclosure.

I couldn't see much through the gloom, but I felt a presence within, as if I were a chunk of iron close to a large magnet. Its pull was irresistible, dragging me forward.

Yet I hesitated. I reined in Arion, and he clopped impatiently, the ground cracking under his hooves. Wherever he stepped, the grass, dirt, and stones turned white like frost. I remembered the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska—how the surface had cracked under our feet. I remembered the floor of that horrible cavern in Rome crumbling to dust, plunging Percy and Annabeth into Tartarus.

I hoped this black-and-white hilltop wouldn't dissolve under me, but I decided it was best to keep moving.

"Let's go, then, boy." My voice sounded muffled, as if I was speaking into a pillow.

Arion trotted through the stone archway. Ruined walls bordered a square courtyard about the size of a tennis court. Three other gateways, one in the middle of each wall, led north, east, and west. In the center of the yard, two cobbled paths intersected, making a cross. Mist hung in the air—hazy shreds of white that coiled and undulated as if they were alive.

That's when I realized this is not just any mist I'm seeing. It's _the Mist_.

I heard about the Mist—the supernatural veil that obscured the world of myth from the sight of mortals and at times demigods from seeing monsters. I even seen Percy manipulated it to make a roman breastplate look like regular clothing and to deceive Roman demigods from looking our way during the war games.

But I never thought of it as actual smoke, but as I watched it curling around Arion's legs, floating through the broken arches of the ruined courtyard, the hair stood up on my arms. Somehow I knew: this white stuff was pure magic.

In the distance, a dog howl. Arion wasn't usually scared of anything, but he reared, huffing nervously.

"It's okay." I stroked his neck. "We're in this together. I'm going to get down, all right?"

It turned out sliding off the back of a skittish fastest horse was a bad idea. Because once I was off Arion's back, he instantly turned and ran. By time I called out his name he'd already disappeared the way he'd come.

So much for being in this together.

Another howl cut through the air—closer this time.

I stepped toward the center of the courtyard as the Mist clung to me like freezer fog.

"Hello?" I called.

"Hello," a voice answered.

The pale figure of a woman appeared at the northern gateway. No, wait… she stood at the eastern entrance. No, the western. _Three_ smoky images of the same woman moved in unison toward the center of the ruins. Her form was blurred, made from Mist, and she was trailed by two smaller wisps of smoke, darting at her heels like animals. Some sort of pets?

She reached the center of the courtyard and her three forms merged into one. She solidified into a young woman in a dark sleeveless gown. Her golden hair was gathered into a high-set ponytail, Ancient Greek style. Her dress was so silky, it seemed to ripple, as if the cloth were ink spilling off her shoulders. She looked no more than twenty, but I got this feeling she was older—much older.

"Hazel Levesque," said the woman.

She was beautiful, but deathly pale. Once, back in New Orleans, I had been forced to attend a wake for a dead classmate. I remembered the lifeless body of the young girl in the open casket. Her face had been made up prettily, as if she were resting, which I had found terrifying.

This woman reminded me of that girl—except the woman's eyes were open and completely black. When she tilted her head, she seemed to break into three different people again… misty afterimages blurring together, like a photograph of someone moving too fast to capture.

"Which goddess are you?" I asked as my fingers twitched at the hilt of my sword. I was sure that this woman was a goddess. She radiated power. Everything around us—the swirling Mist, the monochromatic storm, the eerie glow of the ruins—was because of her presence.

"Ah." The woman nodded. "Let me give you some light."

She raised her hands. Suddenly she was holding two old-fashioned reed torches, guttering with fire. The Mist receded to the edges of the courtyard. At the woman's sandaled feet, the two wispy animals took on solid form. One was a black Labrador retriever. The other was a long, gray, furry rodent with a white mask around its face. Maybe a weasel.

The woman smiled serenely.

"I am Hecate," she said. "Goddess of magic. We have much to discuss if you're to live through tonight and fill in the position left when your friend Percy Jackson fell in Tartarus."


	4. Hazel's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part IV**

I wanted to run, but my feet seemed stuck to the white glazed ground.

On either side of the crossroads, two dark metal torch-stands erupted from the dirt like plant stalks. Hecate fixed her torches in them, then walked a slow circle around me, regarding me as if we were partners in some eerie dance.

The black dog and the weasel followed in her wake.

Finally, I got the courage to ask: "What did you mean filled in a position Percy left when he fell into Tartarus?"

"To be your crew's Mist manipulator of course," Hecate replied. "Not a permanent one. Not unless you choose it to be."

My mind felt like it was swirling in the Mist. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in manipulating Mist, but after seeing Percy done it so many times, I'll admit I'm curious if I could do it as well.

"You are like your mother," Hecate continued.

My throat constricted. "You knew her?"

"Of course. Marie was a fortune-teller. She dealt in charms and curses and _gris-gris_. I am the goddess of magic."

Those pure black eyes seemed to pull at me, as if trying to extract my soul. During my _first_ lifetime in New Orleans, I had been tortured by the kids at St. Agnes School because of my mother. They called her a witch. The nuns muttered that my mother was trading with the Devil.

If the nuns were scared of my mom, what would they make of this goddess?

"Many fear me," Hecate said, as if reading my thoughts. "But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil."

"My—my mother…" I stammered. "She didn't believe in magic. Not really. She was just faking it, for the money."

The weasel chittered and bared its teeth. Then it made a squeaking sound form its back end. Under circumstances, a weasel passing gas might have been funny, but I didn't laugh. Mostly because it stinks really bad, but also because the rodent's red yes glared at me balefully, like tiny coals.

"Peace, Gale," said Hecate. She gave me an apologetic shrug. "Gale does not like hearing about nonbelievers and con artist. Then again, neither was Eric Weisz, but you might of known him as Harry Houdini."

"Harry Houdini was your son?" I asked.

"Oh no, he was one of Hermes kids, but he had the capability to learn," Hecate said, "It's a shame he wasted it along with his powers over locks for those silly escape tricks, but at least he put his gift in other uses like catching con-artist. Even Gale here approved his hobby, being a witch herself."

Gale released another obnoxious gas.

"Your weasel was a witch?"

"She's a pole cat, actually," Hecate said. "But, yes—Gale was once a disagreeable human witch. She had terrible personal hygiene, plus extreme—ah, digestive issues." Hecate waved her hand in front of her nose. "It gave my other followers a bad name."

"Okay." I tried not to look at the weasel—I mean polecat. I really didn't want to know about the rodent's intestinal problems.

"At any rate," Hecate said. "I turned her into a polecat. She's much better as a polecat."

I swallowed. I looked at the black dog, which was affectionately nuzzling the goddess' hand. "And your Labrador…?"

"Oh, she's Hecuba, the former queen of Troy," Hecate said, as if that should be obvious.

The dog grunted.

"You're right, Hecuba," the goddess said. "We don't have time for long introductions. The point is, Hazel Levesque, your mother may have claimed not to believe, but she had true magic. Eventually, she realized this. When she searched for a spell to summon the god Pluto, _I_ helped her find it."

"You…?"

"Yes." Hecate continued circling me. "I saw potential in my mother. I see even _more_ potential in you."

My head spun. I remembered my mother's confession just before she had died: how she'd summoned Pluto, how the god had fallen in love with her, and how, because of her greedy wish, I had been born with a curse. I could summon riches from the earth, but anyone who use them would suffer and die.

Now this goddess was saying that _she_ had made all that happen.

"My mother suffered because of that magic. My whole life—"

"Your life wouldn't have happened without me," Hecate said flatly. "I had no time for your anger. Neither do you. Without my help you will die."

The black snarled. The polecat snapped its teeth and passed gas again.

I felt like my lungs were filling with hot sand.

Hecate raised her pale arms. The three gateways she'd come from—north, east, and west—began to swirl with Mist. A flurry of black-and-white images glowed and flickered, like the old silent movies that were playing in theaters sometimes when I was small.

In the western doorway, Roman and Greek demigods in full armor fought one another on a hillside under a large pine tree. The grass strewn with the wounded and dying. I saw myself riding Arion, charging through the melee and shouting—trying to stop the violence.

In the gateway to the east, I saw the _Argo II_ plunging through the sky above the Apennines. Its riggings were in flames. A boulder smashed into the quarterdeck. Another punched through the hull. The ship burst like a rotten pumpkin, and the engine exploded.

The images in the northern doorway were even worse. I saw Leo unconscious—or dead—falling through the clouds. I saw Frank staggering alone down a dark tunnel, clutching his arm, his shirt soaked with blood. And I saw myself in a vast cavern filled with strands of light like luminous web. I was struggling to break through while, in the distance, Percy and Annabeth lay sprawled and unmoving at the foot of two black-and-silver metal doors.

"Choices," said Hecate. "You stand at the crossroads, Hazel Levesque. And I am the goddess of crossroads."

The ground rumbled at my feet. I look down and saw the glint of silver coins… thousands of old Roman denarii breaking the surface all around me, as if the entire hilltop was coming to a boil. I'd been so agitated by the visions in the doorways that I must have summoned every bit of silver in the surrounding countryside.

"The past is close to the surface in this place," Hecate said. "In ancient times, two great Roman roads met here. News was exchanged. Markets were held. Friends met, and enemies fought. Entire armies had to choose a direction. Entire armies had to choose a direction. Crossroads are always place of decisions."

"Like… like Janus." I remembered the shrine of Janus on Temple Hill back at Camp Jupiter. Demigods would go there to make decisions. They would flip a coin, heads or tails, and hope the two-faced god would guide them well. I had always hated that place. I'd never understood why my friends were so willing to let a god take away their responsibility for choosing. After all I had been through, I trusted the wisdom of the gods about as much as I trusted a New Orleans slot machine.

Hecate must of not like Janus too, because the goddess of magic made a disgusted hiss. "Janus and his doorways. He would have you believe that all choices are black or white, yes or no, in or out. In fact, it's not that simple. Whenever you reach the crossroads, there are always at least three ways to go… four, if you count going backward. You are at such a crossing now, Hazel."

I looked again at each swirling gateway, a demigod war, the destruction of the _Argo II_ , disaster for my friends and myself. "All the choices are bad."

"All choices have risk," the goddess corrected. "But what is your goal?"

"My goal?" I waved helplessly at the doorways. "None of these."

The dog Hecuba snarled. Gale the polecat skittered around the goddess' feet, farting and gnashing her teeth.

"You could go backward," Hecate suggested. "retrace your steps to Rome… but Gaea's forces are expecting that. None of you will survive."

"So… what are you saying?"

Hecate stepped to the nearest torch. She scooped a handful of fire and sculpted the flames until she was holding a miniature relief map of Italy.

"You could go west." Hecate let her finger drift away from her fiery map. "Go back to America with your prize, the Athena Parthenos. Your comrades back home, Greek and Roman, are on the brink of war. Leave now, and you might save lives."

" _Might_ ," I repeated. "But there's a specific way we have to return the statue for that to work. And Gaea is supposed to wake in Greece. That's where the giants are gathering."

"True, Gaea set the date for August first, the Feast of Spes, goddess of hope, for her rise to power. By waking on the Day of Hope, she intends to destroy all hope forever. Even if you reach Greece by then, could you stop her? I don't know." Hecate trace her fingers along the top of the fiery Apennines. "You could go east, across the mountains, but Gaea will do anything to stop you from crossing Italy. She has raised her mountain gods against you."

"We noticed," I mumbled.

"Any attempt to cross the Apennines will mean the destruction of your ship. Ironically, this might be the _safest_ option for your crew. I foresee that all of you would survive the explosion. It is possible, though unlikely, you still reach Epirus and closed the Doors of Death. You might find Gaea and prevent her rise. But by then, both demigods would be destroyed. You would have no home to return to." Hecate smiled. "More likely, the destruction of your ship would strand you in the mountains. It would mean the end of your quest, but it would spare you and your friends much pain and suffering in the days to come. The war with the giants would have to be won or lost without you."

 _Won or lost without us._

A small, guilty part of me found that appealing. I'd been wishing for a chance to be a normal girl. I didn't want any more pain or suffering for my friends and myself. They already been through so much.

I looked behind Hecate at the middle gateway. I saw Percy and Annabeth sprawled helplessly before those black-and-silver doors. A massive dark shape vaguely humanoid, now loomed over them, its foot raised as if to crush Percy. But is that possible with the Mark of Achilles? I know he can be killed through other methods other than being stabbed at his one vulnerable spot—at least that's what Percy told me—but can Percy be crushed to death?

I decided I don't want to find out.

"What about them?" I asked. My voice ragged. "Percy and Annabeth? You said my choice will reflect on if I'll be permanent Mist manipulator or not. Does that mean my choice will effect whether Percy or Annabeth survive?"

Hecate shrugged and smiling. "Well sure. West, east, or south… they die."

"Not an option," I said.

"Then you have only one path, tough it is the most dangerous."

Hecate's fingers crossed her miniature Apennines, leaving a glowing white line in the red flames. "There is a secret pass here in the north, a place where I hold sway, where Hannibal once crossed when he marched against Rome."

The goddess made a wide loop… to the top of Italy, then east to the sea, the down along the western coast of Greece. "Once through the pass, you would travel north to Bolgna, and then to Venice. From there, sail the Adriatic to your goal, here: Epirus Greece."

I didn't know much about geography. I had no idea what the Adriatic Sea was like. I'd never heard of Bologna, and all I knew about Venice was vague stories about canals and gondolas. But one thing was obvious. "That's so far out of the way."

"Which is why Gaea will not expect you to take this route," Hecate said. "I can obscure your progress somewhat, but the success of your journey will depend on you, Hazel Levesque. Since Percy fell into Tartarus, you must learn to use the Mist so you and your friends can save him and Annabeth."

"You really think I can use the Mist?" I asked, "Like Percy?"

Hecate extinguished her map of Italy. She flicked her hand at the black dog Hecuba. Mist collected around the Labrador until she was completely hidden a cocoon of white. The fog cleared with an audible _poof!_ Where the dog had stood was a disgruntle-looking black kitten with golden eyes.

"Mew," it complained.

"I am the goddess of the Mist," Hecate explained. "I am responsible for keeping the veil that separates the world of gods from the world of mortals. My children learned to use the Mist to their advantage, to create illusions or influence the minds of mortals. Your friend Percy learned this—well—Chiron taught it to him when he was just twelve years old. And so must you, Hazel, if you are to help your friends. And in time you might be a match with Percy in using the Mist."

"I don't know about being as good as Percy with the Mist," I said, "I seen how powerful he is with the Mist."

Hecate nodded, "True Percy has a talent in influencing the Mist. But I believe you have just amount of talent in the mist—more talent than your own mother. As a child of Pluto who has returned from the dead, you can understand the veil between worlds better than most. You _can_ control the Mist. If you do not… well, your brother Nico had already warned you. The spirits have whispered to him, told him of your future. When you reach the House of Hades, you will meet a formidable enemy. She cannot be overcome by strength or sword. You alone can defeat her, and you will require magic."

My legs felt wobbly. I remembered Nico's grim expression, his fingers digging into my arm. _You cannot tell the others. Not yet. Their courage is already stretched to the limit._

"Who?" I croaked. "Who is this enemy?"

"I will not speak her name," Hecate said. "That would alert her to your presence before you are ready to face her. Go north, Hazel. As you travel, practice summoning the Mist. When you arrive in Bologna, seek out the two dwarfs. They will lead you to a treasure that may help you survive in the House of Hades."

"I don't understand."

"Mew," the kitten complained.

"Yes, yes, Hecuba." The goddess flicked her hand again, and the cat disappeared. The black Labrador was back in its place.

"You _will_ understand, Hazel," the goddess promised. "From time to time, I will send Gale to check your progress."

The polecat hissed, its beady red eyes full of malic.

"Wonderful," I muttered.

"Before you reach Epirus, you must be prepared. If you face troubles, look to how your friend Piper use her Charmspeak. It may be a different form of magic from Mist manipulation, but as you two will learn, the way the two work are one of the same. I also suggest you work in shadow traveling training with your brother while you're at it," Hecate said. "Then when you unite with Percy and Annabeth, perhaps two Mist manipulators are better than one. Perhaps we will meet again… for the final battle."

A final battle. Oh, joy.

I wondered if I could prevent the revelations I saw in the Mist—Leo falling through the sky; Frank stumbling through the dark, alone and gravely wounded; Percy and Annabeth at the mercy of a dark giant.

I hated the gods' riddles and their unclear advice. I was starting to despise crossroads too.

"Why are you helping me?" I demanded. "At Camp Jupiter, they said you sided with the _Titans_ in the last war."

Hecate's dark eyes glinted. "Because I _am_ a Titan—daughter of Perses and Asteria. Long before the Olympians came to power, I ruled the Mist. Despite this, in the First Titan War, millennia ago, I sided with Zeus against Kronos. I was not blind to Kronos' cruelty. I hoped Zeus would prove a better king."

She gave a small, bitter laugh. "When Demeter lost her daughter Persephone, kidnapped by _your_ father, I guided Demeter through the darkest night with my torches, helping her search. And when the giants rose the first time, I again sided with the gods. I fought my archenemy Clytius, made by Gaea to absorb and defeat all my magic."

"Clytius." I had never heard that name— _Clai-tee-us—_ but saying it made my limbs feel heavy. I glanced at the images in in the northern doorway—the massive dark shape looming over Percy and Annabeth. "Is he the threat in the House of Hades?"

"Oh, he waits for you there," Hecate said. "But first you must defeat the witch. Unless you manage that…"

She snapped her fingers, and all of the gateways turned dark. The Mist dissolved, the images gone. I got the message though. No matter what path I take, if I face the witch and fail, we all fail.

"We all face choices," the goddess said. "When Kronos arose the second time, I made a mistake. I supported him. I had grown tired of being ignored by the so-called _major_ gods. Despite my years of faithful service, they mistrusted me and my children, refuse me a seat in their hall and a cabin for my kids…"

The polecat Gale chittered angrily.

"It does not matter anymore." The goddess sighed. "I have made peace with the Olympians and they pardoned my kids who joined Kronos thanks to Percy. And even though I don't have a throne, my kids have a cabin to stay in if they choose to return. Cause of it, even now, when they are laid low—their Greek and Roman personas fighting each other—I will help them. See too the Romans I was known as Trivia, but in truth, I have always remained Hecate. I will assist you against the giants, if you prove yourself worthy. So now it is your choice, Hazel Levesque. Will you trust me… or will you shun me, as the Olympian gods have done too often?"

Blood roared in my ears. Could I trust this dark goddess, who given my mother the magic that ruined my first life and most of my second? Sorry, no. I didn't much like Hecate's dog or her gassy polecat, either.

But I also knew I couldn't let Percy and Annabeth die, and if Percy did help Hecate's kids as the goddess said he did, I doubt she would want him to either. And all though I don't like Hecate, I do know the Mist can be used to help us, because I seen Percy done just that before.

"I'll go north," I said. "We'll take your secret pass through the mountains."

Hecate nodded, the slightest hint of satisfaction in her face. "You have chosen well, though the path will not be easy. Many monsters will rise against you. Even some of my _own_ servants have sided with Gaea, hoping to destroy your mortal world.

The goddess took her double torches from her stands. "Prepare yourself, daughter of Pluto. If you succeed against the witch, we will meet against the witch, we will meet again."

"I will succeed," I promised. "Not because of the paths you showed me or that you're offering to have me learn of the art of Mist manipulation, but because of my own choice. My friends and I are going to find a way to stop Gaea. We're going to rescue our friends from Tartarus. We're going keep the crew and ship together, _and_ we're going to stop Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood from going to war. We're going to do it all."

Hecate's polecat writhed and her dog snarled. The storm howled, the black walls of the funnel cloud swirling faster.

"Interesting," Hecate said, as if I were an unexpected result in a science experiment. "That would be magic worth seeing. Oh and Hazel before I forget."

A wave of darkness blotted out the world. When my sight returned, the storm, the goddess, and her minions were gone. I stood on the hillside in the morning sunlight, alone in the ruins except for Arion, who paced next to me, nickering impatiently.

"I agree," I told the horse. "Let's get out of here."

…

"What happened?" Leo asked a I climbed aboard the _Argo II_.

My hands still shook from my talk with the goddess. I glanced over the rail and saw the dust of Arion's wake stretching across the hills of Italy. I had hoped my friend would stay, but couldn't blame him for getting away from this place as fast as possible.

The countryside sparkled as the summer sun hit the morning dew. On the hill, the old ruins stood white and silent—no sign of ancient paths, or goddesses, or farting weasels.

"Hazel?" Nico asked.

My knees buckled. Nico and Leo had to grabbed my arms and help me to the steps of the foredeck. I felt embarrassed, collapsing like some fairy-tale damsel, but my energy was gone. The memory of those glowing scenes at the crossroads filled me with dread.

"I met Hecate," I managed.

I didn't tell them everything, mostly leaving out about the witch. But I told them about the secret northern pass through the mountains, and the detour Hecate described that could take us to Epirus.

When I was done, Nico took my hand. His eyes were full of concern. "Hazel, you met Hecate at a crossroads. That's… that's something many demigods don't survive. And the ones who _do_ survive are never the same. Are you sure you're—"

"I'm fine," I insisted.

But I knew I wasn't. I remembered how bold and angry I felt, telling the goddess I'd fine my own path and succeed at everything. Now my boast seemed ridiculous. My courage had abandoned me.

"What if Hecate is tricking us?" Leo asked. "This route could be a trap."

I shook my head. "If it was a trap, I think Hecate would've made the northern route sound tempting. Believe me, she didn't. Plus, I think she want us to save Percy."

"That's not hard to believe," Nico said. "A good portion of the campers Hecate's cabin in Camp Half-Blood are those that sided with the Titans during the Titan War that were pardoned thanks to Percy."

Leo pulled a calculator out of his tool belt and punched in some numbers. "That's… something like three hundred miles out of our way to get to Venice. Then we'd have to backtrack down the Adriatic. And you said something about baloney dwarfs?"

"Dwarfs in Bologna," I said. "I guess Bologna is a city. But why we have to find dwarfs there… I have no idea. Some sort of treasure to help us with the quest."

"Huh," Leo said. "I mean, I'm all about treasure, but—"

"It's our best option." Nico helped me to my feet. "We have to make up for lost time, travel as fast as we can. Percy's and Annabeth's lives might depend on it."

"Fast?" Leo grinned. "I can do fast."

He hurried to the console and started flipping switches.

Nico took my arm and guided me out of earshot. "What else did Hecate say?"

"Well, she wants me to learn how to manipulate the Mist," I said, "She also suggest I should work that in with learning how to shadow travel."

Nico raise his eyebrow. "Hecate thinks you can shadow travel?"

I nodded.

"Very well. We'll start that training tomorrow night, when you're rested and shadows are at their darkest," Nico said. "But did she say anything about—"

"I can't." I cut him off from there. The images I'd seen had almost overwhelmed me: Percy and Annabeth helpless at the feet of those black metal doors, the dark giant looming over them, myself trapped in a glowing maze of light, unable to help.

 _You must defeat the witch_ , Hecate had said. _You alone can defeat her. Unless you manage that…_

 _The end_ , I thought. All the gateways closed. All hope extinguished.

Nico had warned me. He'd communed with the dead, mostly with this spirit of Halcyon Green who gave him the prediction about me. From what he gathered: Two children of the Underworld would enter the House of Hades. They would face an impossible foe. Only one of them would make it to the Doors of Death.

I couldn't meet my brother's eyes.

"I'll tell you later," I promised, trying to keep my voice from trembling. "Right now, we should rest while we can. Tonight, we cross the Apennines, and tomorrow you teach me how to shadow travel."

* * *

 **A/N:** I probably got you guys there in the last chapter with that cliff hanger. Anyways, I told you Hazel's position will change when she starts learning how to Manipulate the Mist.


	5. Annabeth's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part I**

Nine days.

As I fell, I thought about Hesiod, the old Greek poet who'd speculated it would take nine days to fall from earth to Tartarus.

I hoped Hesiod was wrong. I'd lost track of how long Percy and I had been falling—hours? A day? It felt like an eternity. We'd been holding hands ever since we dropped into the chasm. Now Percy pulled me close, hugging me tight as we tumbled through absolute darkness.

Wind whistled in my ears. The air grew hotter and damper, as if we were plummeting into the throat of a massive dragon. My recently broken ankle throb, though I couldn't tell if it was still wrapped in spider webs.

This is Arachne's fault. Despite being trapped in her own webbing, smashed by a car, and plunged into Tartarus, the spider lady had gotten her revenge. Somehow her silk had entangled around my bad leg (of course) and dragged me over the side of the pit, with Percy in tow.

I couldn't imagine that Arachne was still alive, somewhere below us in the darkness. I didn't want to meet that monster again when we reached the bottom. On the bright side, assuming there _was_ a bottom, Percy and I would probably be flattening on impact, so giant spiders were the least of our worries.

I wrapped my arms around Percy and tried not to sob. I'd never expected my life to be easy. Most demigods died young at the hands of terrible monsters. That was the way it had been since ancient times. The Greeks _invented_ tragedy. We knew the greatest heroes didn't get happy endings.

Still, this wasn't _fair_. I'd gone through so much to retrieve that statue of Athena. Just when I'd succeeded, when thing shad been looking up and I'd been reunited with Percy, we had plunged to our deaths.

Even the gods couldn't devise a fate so twisted.

But Gaea wasn't like other gods. The Earth Mother as older, more vicious, more bloodthirsty. I could imagine her laughing as we fell into the depths.

I press my lips to Percy's ear. "I love you."

I wasn't sure if he could hear me—but if we were going to die I wanted those to be my last words.

But Percy did listen, and he must of understand, because he said, "I love you, too."

Hearing Percy said that brought me enough courage to once more to figure out a way to save us. I was a daughter of Athena. I'd proven myself in the tunnels under Rome, beaten a whole series of challenges with only my wits. There must be away to save us.

Neither of us had the power to fly—not like Jason, who could control the wind, or Frank, who could turn into a winged animal. If we reached the bottom at terminal velocity… well, I knew enough science to know it would be _terminal_.

Then it dawns to me that we do have one thing that might save us… Percy's thermos. If there was a bottom to Tartarus, it might be able to save us from death.

That's when our surroundings changed. The darkness took on a gray-red tinge. I realize I could see Percy's hair as I hugged him. The whistling in my ears turned into more of a roar. The hair became intolerably hot, permeated with a smell like rotten eggs.

Suddenly, the chute we'd been falling through opened into a vast cavern. Maybe half a mile below us, I could see the bottom. For a moment I was too stunned to think properly. The entire island of Manhattan could have fit inside this cavern—and I couldn't even see its full extent. Red clouds hung in the air like vaporized blood. The landscape—at least what I could see of it—was some rocky plains, punctuated by jagged mountains and fiery chasms. To my left, the ground dropped off in a series of cliffs, like colossal steps leading deeper into the abyss.

The stench of sulfur made it hard to concentrate, but I yelled: "Percy, your thermos."

Percy looked down and nodded. He held me tight with one hand as he manages to uncap his thermos with the other. I helped him hold it in place before he fired a strong blast of water.


	6. Annabeth's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part II**

At first we didn't slow down, but as we got closer to the ground, our speed dropped enough that when we hit the ground safely. When we were close enough to the ground, Percy ended the water blast so he could twist us around so that only he would hit the ground then he rolled over so I could land on the beach safely.

We landed on a beach next to a black river—possibly one of the most dangerous rivers in the Tartarus. The sulfurus air stung my lungs and prickled my skin. When I looked at my arms, I saw they were already covered with an angry rash. I tried to sit up and gasped in pain.

The beach wasn't sand. We were sitting on a field of jagged glass chips, some of which were now embedded in my palms.

"Are okay?" Percy coughed.

Percy didn't have a single cut on him due to his Achilles Curse. I realized that it was because Percy landed on the ground first was the reason I didn't have any more shards in me.

However, I could tell the sulfuric air was still affecting him as he coughed some more. The Achilles curse only made Percy's skin as hard as steel, not his lungs.

"I'll make it," I winced and coughed myself.

I couldn't help but think what would happen if I fallen into Tartarus myself. I probably would have died right off the spot. Even if I didn't, after what I'd been through beneath Rome, finding the Athena Parthenos, it would have been simply too much. I would've curled up and cried until Tartarus killed me.

But I wasn't alone. I had Percy. And that gave me enough courage to continue.

I forced myself to take stock. My foot was still wrapped in its makeshift cast of board and Bubble Wrap, still tangled with cobwebs. I moved it to see if it was still broken, but it didn't hurt. My guess is the ambrosia I'd eaten in the tunnels under Rome must have finally mended my bones.

I checked my backpack once more and found the usual stuff—Daedalus laptop—still in good condition. Myrmekes gunk that I doubt will help us down here. A baggie of Drachmas and Ambrosia, but no food or water.

I checked my belt to find Halcyon's knife that I been carrying since Percy and I were seven still there. I quickly unsheathed it and used it to cut my leg free of my makeshift cast and cobwebs.

I glance at Percy was checking over his pockets and took out his trusty pen Riptide and on his wrist was the wrist watch his brother Tyson made him that spirals out into a shield. It looked like he didn't bring his hellhound whistle that Mrs. O'Leary appears whenever he blows, but I didn't complain as we were in Tartarus and there might be hellhounds down here. He wasn't wearing Greek armor and his T-shirt was ripped to shreds. Around his neck was his Camp Half-Blood necklace with the same nine beads as mine.

Other than that, Percy didn't have a backpack full of supplies on him.

Once he was done checking his pockets. he unclipped his thermos and uncapped it. He aim it under the thermos. Percy summoned a soft pour of water from his thermos until the cap was filled. Then he handed it to me. "Don't worry, it's fresh water."

I don't know about it but I took the thermos anyways as the hot air made me thirsty. When I drank it, I found it was fresh clean water.

"Whoa!" I said. "When did you learn that?"

"On the way to Alaska," Percy admitted before poring himself a cup and drink it.

I nodded. I took out a piece of ambrosia and broke it in half and gave one to Percy. "I know these are for emergencies, but I think being in Tartarus counts as one."

Percy nodded and ate the piece slowly.

I ate my half and found it tasting like Percy's mom: Sally Jackson's famous chocolate chip cookies that she would bake for Percy and me when I came to visit him in his apartment (before Hera kidnapped him).

Percy started to breathe easier in the sulfuric air and I scanned our surroundings. Above, I saw no sign of the tunnel we'd fallen through. I couldn't even see the cavern roof—just blood-colored clouds floating in the hazy gray air. It was like staring through a thin mi of tomato soup and cement.

The glass beach stretched inland about fifty yards, then dropped off the edge of a cliff. From where I stood, I couldn't see what was below, but the edge flickered with red light as if illuminated by huge fires.

"That's probably the river of fire," Percy said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

I smiled as I been thinking the same thing. We both have read about fires in Tartarus and the one thing we know is that there's a river of fire that flows from the fields of punishment into Tartarus—as most rivers do—where tortured spirits goes to, to heal their wounds.

It could help make our supplies last a little longer.

"Let's get a drink from the River of Fire," I said.

* * *

 **A/N:** I bet you guys are glad I had Percy kept his Achilles Curse since he saved Annabeth from having glass shards stabbed her back? Not to mention didn't make Percy's vulnerable spot anywhere on his back


	7. Annabeth's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part III**

With Percy's help, I manage to get up without getting cut up more than I already was. Luckily the Ambrosia we ate restore enough of our strengths to walk without supporting each other, but Percy and I stayed close to each other just in case. For all we know, some of our old foes we destroyed over the years were down here.

However, we didn't get very far until we saw a site I didn't want to see down here.

We found a familiar looking baby-blue Italian car that had crashed head first into the sand. It looked just like the Fiat that had smashed into Arachne and sent her plummeting into the pit.

I hoped I was wrong, but how many Italian sports cars could there be in Tartarus? Part of me didn't want to go anywhere near it, but I had to find out.\

"Are you sure?" Percy asked.

"I just want to be sure," I replied.

We walked up to the wreckage to investigate it. One of the car's tires had come off and was floating in a backwater eddy of the river close by. The Fiat's windows had shattered, sending brighter glass like frosting across the dark beach. Under the crushed hood lay the tattered, glistening remains of a giant silk cocoon—the trap that I had tricked Arachne into weaving. It was unmistakably empty. Slash marks and trail of ichor in the sand made a trail down river… as if something heavy, with multiple legs that was bleeding, had scuttled into darkness.

"She's alive." I was so horrified, so outraged by the unfairness of it all, had to suppress the urge to throw up.

"Yeah, but she's injured," Percy pointed out, "She must have crawled off to heal her wounds, or hopefully die."

"I hope she died," I replied. I know it sound wrong, but after what I been through with Arachne, I don't care. "Let's just get to the River."

Percy nodded.

After a few minutes of walking, my hands were killing me. Instead of healing, they seem worse. Normally we pour nectar on wounds like this, but we don't have any. So instead Percy ripped the sleeves off his already ruined t-shirt to wrap around my hands to apply pressure and slow down the bleeding.

When we reached the ledge of the glowing cliff, my heart dropped.

The cliff dropped more than eighty feet. At the bottom stretched a nightmarish version of the Grand Canyon: a river of fire cutting a path through a jagged obsidian crevasses, the glowing red current casting horrible shadow across the cliff faces and the heat was so intense that my face was raw and sunburned in second.

Percy examined the cliff and pointed to a tiny fissure running diagonally from the edge to the bottom. "Maybe we should try that ledge there to climb down."

"Worth the try," I responded.

Percy went first. The ledge was barely wide enough to allow a toe hold. Our hands clawed for any cracks in the glassy rock. Even with my hands wrapped I was having a hard time keeping old. Every once in a while, my eyes stung with sweat.

Eventually we made it to the ground and to the river.

Percy frowned when he looked at it. "I wonder if Nico drank from Phlegethon to survive down here?"

"I don't know, it's possible," I said, "If he did, that might be good news for us."

"I'll go first," Percy offered. He cupped the liquid fire like it was nothing and drank it.

After he was done Percy started coughing and gagging. His eyes started watering red tears as he started shaking violently. I had to hold him to make sure he doesn't fall. When it was over Percy looked better than he did before. The boils were gone and some of his skin color was returning to normal. Percy quickly unclipped and uncapped his thermos to summon a lid full of water—probably to wash down any after taste.

"Ugh," He said, "Spicy, yet disgusting."

I laughed weakly. "My turn."

"Take it slow and easy. It got a bit of a kick in it," Percy replied.

I thrust my hands into the river. At first, the fire wasn't painful. It felt cold, which probably meant it was _so_ hot it was overloading my nerves. I cupped the fiery liquid in my palms and raised it to my mouth.

I expected a taste like gasoline, but the Phlegethon river water was worst. Once, at a restaurant back in San Francisco, I'd made a mistake of tasting ghost chili pepper that came with a plate of Italian food. After barely nibbling it, I thought my respiratory system was going to implode. Drinking from the Phlegethon was like gulping down a ghost chili smoothie. My sinuses filled with liquid flame. My mouth felt like it was being deep fried. My eyes shed boiling tears, and every pore on my face popped. I collapsed, gagging and retching, my whole body shaking violently.

"Annabeth!" Percy grabbed my arms and just manage to stop me from rolling into the river.

When the convulsions passed. I took a ragged breath and manage to sit up. I felt horribly weak and nauseous, but my next breath came more easily. The blisters on my arms were starting to fade.

Percy handed me a lid full of water, which I was grateful to drink down the after taste of the river.

"So what now?" Percy asked. "I don't think we can make a trip up, and we need to get to the Doors of Death."

That's a good question. How are we going to get there.

"Let me check something." I took out the Daedalus laptop amazingly even down here it worked fine.

"You think Daedalus might have added a map of Tartarus in his Laptop?" Percy asked.

"I doubt it, but it never hurt to check," I replied.

I type in a computer search for a map of Tartarus and sure enough, something popped up. It looked like a google map icon but when I clicked it, it showed a 3-D image of Tartarus—or rather the part we either are at or just came from.

Percy whistled. "How on earth did Daedalus get a map of Tartarus?"

"I don't think he did," I said. "It could be possible he gathered info on Tartarus over the years to create one. Look here's the Phlegethon—" I pointed at a red line that resembles a river line. "And the river we were by earlier—oh, wow, that was River Cocytus."

"River of Sorrow," Percy replied. "Good thing we didn't land in that river."

I nodded. "If it wasn't for your thermos we might have had too. Anyways this isn't a complete map. I think it's more like a GPS—when we get to the edge here, a different area might appear."

Just then something big and shadowy hurtled down at me—a snarling monstrous blob with spindly barbed legs and glinting eyes.

I had time to think: _Arachne_. But I was frozen in terror, my senses smothered by the sickly sweet smell.

Then I heard the familiar _SHINK_ of Percy's pen transforming into a sword. His blade swept over my head in a glowing bronze arc. A horrible wail echoed through the canyon.

I stood there, stunned, as yellow dust—the remains of Arachne—rained over me like tree pollen.

"You okay?" Percy scanned the cliffs and boulders, alert for more monsters, but nothing else appeared. The golden dust of the spider settled on the obsidian rocks.

I stared at my boyfriend in amazement. Riptide's Celestial bronze blade glowed even brighter in the gloom of Tartarus. As it passes through thick hot air, it made a defiant hiss like a riled snake.

"She… she would've killed me," I stammered.

Percy kicked the dust on the rocks and smiled to me. "Then it's a good thing I struck her first."

I got this feeling Percy been wanting a chance to do that to Arachne for a while, which made me worried. "How did you move so fast?"

Percy thought back and shrugged. "I'm not sure. But we better not use Daedalus' laptop unless we have too."

I nodded and did a quick scan on the screen—memorizing the map—before shutting it down and putting it back in my backpack. Although we now know monsters can be destroyed down here, we don't know how long they will stay that way.

"If we go down stream, we should go deeper into Tartarus," I said. "The Doors of Death is probably somewhere down there."

Percy nodded still looking concern. "Well if Nico is right about Gaea's forces, then it shouldn't be hard from there—we just have to look at where the monsters gathering at."

"Including some of our old foes," I reminded him.

"Well, then it's a good thing we already know how to fight those old foes," Percy responded.


	8. Annabeth's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part IV**

"Something been bothering me," Percy said.

"What?" I asked.

"If the Earth Goddess didn't open the Doors of Death until after the Second Titan War, how on earth did Bob and three of his brothers got out of here?" Percy asked. "I mean when I met Bob as—well you know—he was in the Underworld. And yet someone can't just climb out of the pit into the Underworld, right?"

I frowned. That was a good question. How did Bob and his brothers escape the underworld?

Bob wasn't a monster who could reform in the mortal world after a certain number of years. He was a Titan formally known as Iapetus who use to be one of Kronos' top soldiers since the Titans ran the world until Percy forced him to take a swim in the River of Forgetfulness: River Lethe. After that Iapetus took on the new identity of Bob, a friend and ever since the Battle of Manhattan: ally of Olympus. But even so, like the gods, Titans shouldn't be able to just _climb_ out of Tartarus.

"It could be that the Earth goddess been helping the Titans knowing it would lead to this," I suggested. "After all, from Hazel's previous life and what happened to Leo's mom. It been obvious that Gaea been stirring for a long time now."

"Yeah—perhaps," Percy agreed, "I wonder if the monsters that we thought vanished decided to stay down here."

"Possibly. It would explain why Medusa's sisters decided to make a reappearance after we thought they vanished," I said. "Why you ask?"

"Well, it's just… I was thinking maybe perhaps the Elder Cyclopes might be down here, and maybe perhaps the other two hundred handed ones," Percy said. "If they are and we find them, maybe they can help us."

Normally when someone suggested a cyclopes help, unless it was Tyson's help, I would ignore the idea. But I get where Percy was coming at. The Elder Cyclopes and the Hundred handed ones were allies of the Olympians against the Titans, and if Gaea hasn't turned them against Olympus if we find them, maybe they can help us.

Then my concentration broke when I heard them—female voices having some sort of argument—and I was instantly alert.

I whispered, "Percy, down!"

Percy nodded and we dove to hide behind the nearest boulder, wedging myself so close against the riverbank that my shoes almost touched the river's fire. On the other side, in the narrow path between the river and the cliffs, voices snarled, getting louder as they approach from upstream.

"Myrmekes gunk?" Percy suggested.

I nodded and took it out of my backpack. We each used enough gunk to block out our scent as the voices came closer. The gunk smelled like rotten corpses but its strong enough to cover even a child of the big three's scent.

The voices sounded vaguely human, but that meant nothing. Unless we know what we're dealing with, anything could be an enemy.

The monsters got nearer with uneven footsteps— _scrap, clump, scrap, clump_ —didn't get any faster.

"Soon?" one of them asked in a raspy voice, as if she'd been gargling in the Phlegethon.

"Oh my gods!" said another voice. "This one sounded much younger and much more human, like a teenaged mortal girl getting exasperated with her friends at the mall. For some reason, she sounded familiar. "You guys are totally annoying! I told you, it's like three _days_ from here."

Percy gripped my wrist. He looked at me with alarm, as if he recognized the mall girl's voice too.

Percy pointed to his eighth bead with the picture of the labyrinth and mouthed: _Goode High School_ —as if the two were connected.

My eyes widened as I realized who that monster was.

There was a chorus of growling and grumbling. The creatures—maybe a half a dozen along with the familiar voice, I'm guessing—had paused just on the other side of the boulder.

"I wonder," said a third voice gravelly and ancient like the first, "if perhaps you do not know the way, young one."

"Oh, shut your fang hole, Serephone," said the mall girl. "When's the last time _you_ escaped to the mortal world? I was there a couple of years ago. I know the way! Besides, _I_ understand what we're facing up there. You don't have a clue!"

"The Earth Mother did not make you, boss!" shrieked a fourth voice.

More hissing, scuffling, and feral moans—like giant alley cats fighting. At last the one called Serephone yelled, "Enough!"

The scuffling died down.

"We will follow for now," Serephone said. "But if you do _not_ lead us well, if we find you have _lied_ about the summons of Gaea—"

"I don't lie!" snapped the mall girl. "Believe me, I've got good reason to get into this battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you'll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave one special morsel for me—the one named Percy Jackson."

I fought down one of my snarls. I forgot about my fears and worries as I wanted nothing more than to jump over the boulder and slash the monster to dust with my knife. However, Percy tightened his grip as if saying: _Not yet._

I thought Percy would want nothing more than to kill this monster, but I understand. These monsters might give us clues to the Doors of Death, and when they do, then we can destroy our old foe.

"Believe me," said the mall girl. "Gaea has called us, and we're going to have _so_ much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name—Kelli!"

Great, nothing better than hearing the monster confirm herself for us to hear.

Two years ago, at Percy's freshmen orientation, he and our friend Rachel Dare had been attacked by _empousai_ disguised as cheerleaders—which is why Percy mouthed Goode High School. He manage to dodge trouble by manipulating the Mist on the teachers and students that found them into thinking Kelli was working for the kidnapping terrorist that kidnapped Percy and me at seven (which really was just a cover up story created thanks to Percy's battle with Ares).

Later, the same _emposa_ had attacked us in Daedalus workshop during our quest to find it—which is why Percy pointed at the bead. But I was the one who stabbed her in the back, not Percy. And I sent her… well, I send her here to Tartarus.

The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Percy and I crept to the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse. Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs—mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven-hooved on the right. Their hair was made of fire, their skin as white as bone. Most of them wore tattered Ancient Greek dresses, except for the one in the lead, Kelli, who wore a burned and torn blouse with a short pleated skirt… her cheerleader's outfit.

I gritted my teeth. I had faced a lot of bad monsters over the years, but I hated _empousai_ more than most—except maybe rogue cyclopes who took the path of killing mortals and demigods instead of working at the forges of Olympus.

In addition to their nasty claws and fangs, _empousai_ had a powerful ability to manipulate the Mist. They could change shape and charmspeak, tricking mortals into letting their guards down. Men were especially susceptible. The _empousa_ 's favorite tactic was to make a guy fall in love with her, then drink his blood and devour his flesh. Not a great first date.

Kelli had almost killed Percy. She had helped Kronos manipulated our surrogate brother and oldest friend Luke, urging him to commit darker and darker deeds in the name of the Titan Lord, and possibly help took part in having Luke disowned Percy in front of a crowd of monsters and demigods to prove himself to Kronos—which nearly shattered Percy.

I _really_ wished I could go after them, but unfortunately we need them.

"Do you still want to follow them?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," I replied reluctantly. "Let's follow them to the Doors of Death."

* * *

 **A/N** : I decided to post at the most four chapters a day that way it would take me at least 19 days if not more (depending on how each chapter goes) to finish

By the way, I brought up the other two Hundred Handed Ones and the Elder Cyclops being in Tartarus since it been on my mind since I read 'Percy Jackson and the House of Hades' where Kronos' brothers-minus Bob-brought up about Leto (who is Artemis' and Apollo's mom) joining them and of the fact that Medusa's sisters who Medusa said vanished and yet appeared in 'The Son of Neptune' after the Doors of Death was open and Thantos was captured.


	9. Leo's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part I**

Okay, confession time, I haven't going to sleep every night as my friends think I have been doing. In fact, quite the opposite.

I been spending every night since we left Rome wrestling with a forty-foot-tall Athena that takes up most of the hull of my ship. Athena's feet stuck into the sick bay, so you had to squeeze past her ivory toes if you wanted some Advil. Her body ran the length of the port corridor, her outstretched hand jutting into the engine room, offering the life-sized figure of Nike that stood in her palm, like, _Here, have some Victory!_ Athena's serene face took up most of the aft pegasus stables, which were fortunately unoccupied. If I were a magic horse, I wouldn't have wanted to live in a stall with an oversized goddess of wisdom staring at him.

The only room not occupied was the storage and armory, but the statue was so wedged tight in the corridors, you have to climb over the top to get to them.

Ever since we'd brought the statue aboard, I had been obsessed with figuring out how it worked. I was sure it had primo powers. There had to be a secret switch or pressure plate or something. And tonight been no different.

I spent the last several hours crawling over the statue trying to figure it out. I figured if I wriggled under the limbs, I might find levers or buttons.

As usual, I found nothing.

I'd done some research on the statue. I knew it was made from a hollow wooden frame covered in ivory and gold, which explained why we were able to lift it onto the ship with ease. It was in pretty good shape, considering it was more than two thousand years old, had been pillage from Athens, toted to Rome, and secretly stored in a spider's caver for most of the past two millennia. My guess is that a combination of magic and really good craftsmanship kept it intact.

Annabeth had said the statue was the key to defeating Gaea, and both she and Percy had a strong belief that it could heal the rift between Greek and Roman demigods.

I tried not to think about Annabeth and Percy as it only reminded me of them falling into Tartarus. It made me feel guilty of the fact I didn't make sure everyone was safely on board of the Argue II before I started securing the statue. I should have realized the cavern was unstable. But I can't afford to mope around while two of my friends are fighting for their live. I have to concentrate on fixing the problems I could fix.

Anyways, I figured there had to be more to this statue than just symbolism. Maybe Athena's eyes shot lasers, or the snake behind her shield could spit poison. Or maybe the smaller figure of Nike came to life and busted out some ninja moves.

I could think of all kind of things the statue might do if _I_ had designed it, but the more I examined it, the more frustrated I got. The Athena Parthenos obviously radiated magic, but that seems to be the only thing it does other than look impressive.

The ship careen to one side, taking evasive maneuvers. I resist the urge to run to the helm and check on my friends. Jason Piper and Frank were on duty with Hazel and Nico now. They could handle whatever was going on. Besides, Hazel had ins insisted on taking the wheel—when she isn't working on her shadow traveling with her brother—to guide them through the secret pass that the magic goddess had told her about.

I just hope Hazel was right about the long detour north. I don't trust this Hecate lady. I didn't see why such a creepy goddess that helped the Titans in the previous Titan War decided all of the sudden to help us.

Then again, I don't trust magic in general. Not since Jason's Piper's and my encounter with Medea. Even back in camp, I tried to avoid contact with Hecate's kids, worried that one of them would charm me into killing my best friends, or turn me into a pig or other stuff I heard some of the evil sorcerers in the Greek stories do.

I mean, I can trust Hazel if she does learn this Mist manipulation thing just as I learn to do the same with Percy doing that. But that's because we worked together long enough that I know Hazel wouldn't use it to harm me just as much as I trust Piper wouldn't use her charmspeak to force me to kill a good person. But still, I rather work with stuff I can understand.

That's why I'm having so much trouble with the Athena Parthenos. It had no moving parts. Whatever it did, it apparently operated on pure sorcery… and I didn't appreciate that. I wanted it to make sense like a machine wo I can feel at ease about it.

Finally, I was too exhausted to think straight. I curled up with a blanket in the engine room and listened to the soothing hum of the generators. Buford the mechanical table sat in the corner on sleep mode, making little steamy snores: _Shhh, pfft, shh, pfft._

I liked my quarters okay, but I felt safest here in the heart of the ship—in a room filled with mechanisms I knew how to control. Besides, maybe if I spent more time close to the Athena Parthenos, I would eventually soak in its secrets.

"It's you and me, Big Lady," I murmured as I pulled the blanket to my chin. "You're gonna cooperate eventually."

I closed my eyes and slept. Unfortunately, that meat dreams.

…

I was running for my life through my mother's old workshop that been in my family since—well since Hazel's first boyfriend and my great-grandfather Sammy—where she'd died in a fire when I was eight.

I wasn't sure what was chasing me, but I sensed it closing fast—something large and dark and full of hate.

I stumbled into workbenches, knocked over toolboxes, and tripped on electrical cords. I spotted the exit and sprinted toward it, but a figure loomed in front of me—a woman in robes of dry earth, her face covered in a veil of dust.

 _Where are you going, little hero?_ Gaea asked. _Stay and meet my favorite son._

I darted to the left, but the Earth Goddess' laughter followed me.

 _The night your mother died, I warned you. I said the Fates would not allow me to kill you then. But_ now _you have chosen your path. Your death is near, Leo Valdez._

I ran into a drafting table—my mother's old workstation. The wall behind it was decorated with my old crayon drawings. I sobbed in desperation and turned, but the thing pursuing me now stood in my path—a colossal being wrapped in shadows, its shape vaguely humanoid, its head almost scraping the ceiling twenty feet above.

My hands burst into flame. I blasted the giant but the darkness consumed my fire. I reached for my tool belt, but the pockets were sewn shut. I tried to speak—to say anything that would save my life—but I couldn't make a sound, as if the air had been stolen from my lungs.

 _My son will not allow any fires tonight,_ Gaea said from the depths of the warehouse. _He is the void that consumes all magic, the cold that consumes all fire, the silence that consumes all speech._

I wanted to yell, _And I'm the dude that's all out here!_ but my voice didn't work.

So, I used my feet instead.

I dashed to the right, ducking under the shadowy giant's grasping hands, and burst through the nearest doorway.

Suddenly, I was back at Camp Half-Blood. Only the camp was in ruins. The cabins were charred husks. Burned fields smoldering in the moonlight. The plants of the _Persephone Garden II_. The Hearth of Hestia was destroyed once more (Jason destroyed it before, long story). The dining pavilion had collapsed into a pile of white rubble, and the Big house was on fire, its windows glowing like demon eyes.

I kept running, sure the shadow giant was still behind me.

I wove around the bodies of Greek and Roman demigods. I wanted to check if they were still alive and help them, but I knew I was running out of time.

I jogged toward the only living people I saw—a group of Romans standing at the volleyball pit. Two centurions leaning casually on their javelins over a body of a big African American guy and a beautiful girl who were holding hands as the two romans chatted with a tall skinny blond guy in a purple toga. I stumbled as it was that freak Octavian, the augur from Camp Jupiter, who was always screaming for war.

Not only that, but the guy on the ground I recognized as I was closer as my half-brother Beckendorf and his girlfriend and Piper's sister Silena Beauregard.

 _No,_ I thought.

Octavian then turned to face me, but he seemed to be in a trance. His features were slack, his eyes closed. When he spoke, it was Gaea's voice: _Tis cannot be prevented. The Romans moved east from New York. They advance on your camp, and nothing can slow them down._

I wanted to punch Octavian in the face and check on Beckendorf and Silena. But instead, I kept running.

I climbed the Half-Blood Hill. At the summit, lightning had splintered the giant pine tree.

I faltered to a stop. The back of the hill was shorn away. Beyond it, the entire world was gone. I saw nothing but clouds far beyond—a rolling silver carpet under the dark sky.

Then I heard a sharp voice said, "Well?"

I flinched.

At the shattered pine tree, a woman knelt at a cave entrance that had cracked open between the tree's roots.

The woman wasn't Gaea. She looked more like a living Athena Parthenos, with the same golden robes and bare ivory arms. When she rose, I almost stumbled off the edge of the world.

Her face was regally beautiful, with high cheekbones, large dark eyes, and braided licorice-colored hair piled in a fancy Greek hairdo, set with a spiral of emeralds and diamonds that reminded me of a Christmas tree. Her expression radiated pure hatred. Her lip curled. Her nose wrinkled.

"The tinkerer god's child who favored the demigod who helped ruin my life," she sneered. "You are no threat, but I suppose my vengeance must start somewhere. Make your choice."

I tried to speak, but I was about to crawl out of my skin with panic. Between this hate queen and the giant chasing me, I had no idea what to do.

"He'll be here soon," the woman warned. "My dark friend will not give you the luxury of a choice. It's the cliff or the cave, boy!"

Suddenly I understood what she meant. I was cornered. I could jump off the cliff, but that would be suicide. Even if there was land under those clouds, I would die in the fall, or maybe I would keep falling forever.

But the cave... I stared at the dark opening between the tree roots. It smelled of rot and death. I heard bodies shuffling inside, voices whispering in the shadows.

The cave was the home of the dead. If I went down there, I would never come back.

"Yes," the woman said. Around her neck hung a strange bronze and emerald pendant, like a circular labyrinth. Almost like the bead on Annabeth's and Percy's necklace. Her eyes were so angry, I finally understood why _mad_ was a word for _crazy_. This lady had been driven nuts with hatred. "The House of Hades awaits. You will be the first puny rodent to die in my maze. You have only one chance to escape, Leo Valdez. Take it."

She gestured toward the cliff.

"You're bonkers," I managed.

That was the wrong thing to say. She seized my wrist. "Perhaps I should kill you now, before my dark friend arrives?"

Steps shook the hillside. The giant was coming, wrapped in shadows, huge and heavy and bent on murder.

"Have you heard of dying in a dream, boy?" the woman asked. "It is possible for a sorceress!"

My arm started to smoke as the woman's touch started to feel like acid. I tried to free myself, but her grip was like steel.

I opened my mouth to scream as the massive shape of a giant loomed over me, obscured by the layers of black smoke.

The giant raised his fist and was about to smash me when Jason's voice cut through my dream.

"Leo! Hey, man, why are you hugging Nike?"

….

The last thing I expected when I woke up was finding myself hugging the statue of the Goddess of victory as my best friend tried to wake me up. Unfortunately, that's what happened.

My eye fluttered open and I found myself wrapped around the human size statue in Athena's hand as Jason tried to shake me awake. I must have been thashing in my sleep. I clung onto the victory goddess like I used to cling to my pillow when I had nightmares (which is _so_ embarrassing in the foster homes).

I disentangled myself and sat up, rubbing my face.

"Nothing," I muttered. "We were just cuddling. Um, what's going on?"

Jason didn't tease me, which is one of the things I appreciate about the guy. Jason's blue eyes seemed ice-blue today as they seemed level and serious. The little scar on his mouth twitched like it always did when he had bad news to share.

"We made it through the mountains," he said. "We're almost to Bologna. You should join us in the mess hall. Nico has new information."


	10. Leo's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part II**

I had designed the mess hall's walls to show real-scenes from Camp Half-Blood. At first I thought that was a pretty awesome idea, and that maybe after a day in Camp Jupiter I can have it show scenes of that for Frank and Hazel. But now I'm not sure.

The scenes from back home—the campfire sing-alongs, dinners at the pavilion, volleyball games outside the Big House—just seemed to make my friends sad. The farther we got from Long Island, the worse it got. The time zones kept changing, making me _feel_ the distance every time I look at the walls. Here in Italy, the sun had just come up. Back in Camp Half-Blood it was the middle of the night. Torches sputtered at the cabin doorways. Moonlight glittered on the waves of Long Island Sound. The beach was covered in footprints, as if a huge crowd just left.

Then I remember that yesterday—last night, whatever—had been the Fourth of July. We'd missed Camp Half-Blood's annual party at the beach with awesome fireworks prepared by my siblings in Cabin Nine.

I decided not to mention that to the crew, but I hoped our buddies back home had had a good celebration. They needed something to keep their spirits up, too.

I remembered the images I'd seen in my dream—the camp in ruins, littered with bodies; Octavian standing at the volleyball pit over Beckendorf and his girlfriend, and talking casually in Gaea's voice.

I stared down at my eggs and bacon. I really wish I could turn off the wall videos.

"So…" Jason said, "now that we're here…"

Ever since Percy fell into Tartarus and we had to remain in flight mode, Jason took the head chair. Although there were days he seem to sit in the second seat reserved for whoever of the two isn't leading at the moment, as if thinking we're about to return to the sea and Percy could take the pressure off his shoulders for once.

It actually been kind of weird at first when I think about it. At the beginning of the quest, whenever Percy took the head chair, Jason seem to can't wait to regain the seat. But now, after some kind of brotherly bonding those two did fighting the twin banes of Dionysus, it seems that Jason expected Percy to take the seat and didn't argue about it.

I glanced at the others around the table. Hazel was bleary-eyed, after being up all day and night. She seemed pale and slightly greener than usual when we're in the air, which I guess was from her shadow traveling lessons. Her curly cinnamon-colored hair was tied back in a bandanna, which gave her a commando look.

Next to her sat her boyfriend Frank Zhang, dressed in black workout pants and a Roman Tourist T-shirt that said _CIAO!_ That we picked up during our 'try-to-Find-Hazel's-half-brother' version of a tour of Rome since Buford lost some of his dirty laundry back in the states (long story). Frank's old centurion badge was pinned to his shirt, despite the fact that the demigods on _Argo II_ were now public enemy's one through seven back at Camp Jupiter. His grim expression just reinforced his unfortunate resemblance to a sumo wrestler.

Then there was the guy we spend the time touring around Rome to find: Hazel's half-brother Nico di Angelo. That kid gives me the freaky-deakies. I didn't say it out loud of course. I met his and Hazel's sister Bianca once and let's just say Nico is scarier than her.

He sat back in his leather aviator jacket, his black T-shirt and jeans, that wicked silver skull ring on his finger, a celestial bronze hunter's knife from Bianca strapped to his belt, and the Stygian sword at his side. His tufts of black hair stuck up in curls like baby bat wings. His eyes were sad and empty, as if he stared into the depths of Tartarus—which he had.

The only absent demigod that was on the ship was Piper, who was taking her turn at the helm with Coach Hedge, our satyr chaperone.

I wished Piper was here. She had a way of calming things down with that Aphrodite charm of hers (which is the reason she's our peacekeeper in the crew), and after last night's dream, I could use some calm.

On the other hand, it was probably a good she was above deck chaperoning our chaperone. Now that we were in the ancient lands, we had to be constantly on guard. I was nervous about letting Coach Hedge fly solo. The satyr was too trigger-happy, and the helm had plenty of bright, dangerous buttons that could cause the picturesque Italian villages below us go BOOM!

Unfortunately, I realized that Jason was still talking while I was zoned out.

"—the House of Hades," he was saying. "Nico?"

Nico sat forward. "I got in contact with the spirit of Odysseus last night."

He just tossed that line out there, like he was saying he got a text from a buddy.

"Odysseus—wasn't he that champion of Athena who took that great voyage home?" I asked.

Nico nodded, "He also adventured to the Underworld to talk to the dead, which is why I talked to him. He didn't tell me what I needed to know, but he did lead me to a former priest of Hecate who did," he said, "From what I gather, in ancient times, the House of Hades was a major site for Greek pilgrims. They would come to speak with the dead and honor their ancestors."

I frowned. "Sounds like Día de los Muertos. My Aunt Rosa took that stuff seriously."

I remembered being dragged by her to the local cemetery in Houston, where we'd clean up our relatives gravesites and put out offerings of lemonade, cookies, and fresh marigold. Aunt Rosa would force me to stay for a picnic, as if hanging out with dead people were good for my appetite.

Now that I think about it, one of those grave sites might have been Sammy's and I never even realized.

I quickly decided not to bring that up with Hazel and Frank here.

Thankfully they didn't push onto it as Frank grunted. "Chinese have that, too—ancestor worship, sweeping the graves in the springtime. My grandmother use to bring me along so I could _get in touch with my ancestry_." He glanced at me. "Your Aunt Rosa would've gotten along with my Grandmother."

That was a terrifying thought—my aunt and Frank's grandmother meeting and talking about worshipping ancestors.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm sure they would've been best buds."

Nico clear his throat. "A lot of cultures have seasonal traditions of the dead, but the House of Hades was open year round. Pilgrims could actually _speak_ to the ghosts. In Greek, the place was called the Necromanteion, the Oracle of the Dead. You'd work your way through different levels of tunnels, leaving offerings and drinking special potions."

"I hope it's like the ones that healed Piper's dad's mind and not like the ones that killed Medea," I said.

"Most likely the first one," Jason replied, "Nico, go on."

"The pilgrims believed that each level of the temple brought you closer to the Underworld, until the dead would appear before you. If they were pleased with your offerings, they would answer your questions, maybe even tell you the future. If not, they got nothing or worse go insane or die after leaving the tunnels. Others possibly lost their way in the tunnels and were never."

"And you got that from the priest of Hecate," Frank said.

Nico nodded. "I also asked him to confirm what Hecate told Hazel last night about Hecate helping the gods in the previous giant war since…"

Nico trailed off but we got the idea. Percy and Annabeth are normally the most informed people we can turn to when it comes to needing info about the ancient stories.

"Anyways, in the first war with the giants, Hecate fought for the gods," Nico continued. "She slew one of the giants—one who'd been designed as the _anti_ -Hecate."

"I thought Gaea wanted to replace the Olympians?" Frank asked. "Why would she make an anti-Hecate?"

"Gaea didn't create giants target every specific Olympians," Jason replied. "After all, Hera doesn't have a giant bane."

Nico nodded. "But for the ones she did left out, she created giants to go after ones she saw as a threat like at the time Hecate and the Fates."

"Wait, there's an Anti-Fates?" I asked. "What do they do? Go against destiny or something?"

Jason shot me a look like: _Enough, Leo._

"So who is the anti Hecate?" he asked.

"A guy name Clytius," Nico replied.

"Dark dude," I guessed, "Wrapped in shadows."

Hazel turned toward me, her gold eyes narrowing. "Leo, how did you know that?"

"I kind of had a dream."

No one looked surprised. Most demigods had vivid nightmares about what was going on in the world.

My friends paid close attention as I explained. I tried not to look at the wall images of Camp Half-Blood as I described the place in ruins. I told them about the giant, and the strange woman on Half-Blood Hi, offering him a multiple-choice death.

Jason pushed away his plate of pancakes. "So the giant Clytius. I supposed he'll be waiting for us, guarding the doors of death.

Frank rolled up one of the pancakes and started munching—not a guy to let impending death stand in the way of a hearty breakfast. "And the woman in Leo's dream?"

"She's my problem," Hazel passed a diamond between her fingers in a sleight of hand. "Hecate mention a formidable enemy in the House of Hades—a witch who couldn't be defeated except by me by learning how to use magic."

"Do you know magic?" I asked.

"Not yet." Hazel said, "It's kind of difficult to learn on my own since the only other person who knew how to use the Mist is—is Percy."

Well that sunk in hard. My best guess is that if Percy and Annabeth didn't fall into Tartarus, he would have had to fight this mystery person, but because he did the job is put on Hazel's shoulders.

"Any idea who she is?" I asked.

Hazel shook her head. "Only that…" she glanced at Nico, and some sort of silent argument happened between them. I got the feeling that the two of them had had private conversation about the House of Hades, and they weren't sharing all the details. "Only that she won't be easy to beat."

"But there _is_ some good news," Nico said. "The ghost I talked to explained how Hecate defeated Clytius in the first war. She used her torches to set his hair on fire. He burned to death. In other words, fire is his weakness."

I ended up wishing I wasn't the fire guy, because the moment Nico said that everyone turned to me. Normally I'm into this kind of attention, but after last night dream, I wished they didn't look at my direction.

Even Jason was nodding encouragingly to me, like this was great news—like he expected me to walk up to a towering mass of darkness, shoot a few fireballs, and solve all our problems. I didn't want to bring him down, but I could still hear Gaea's voice: _He is the void that consumes all magic, the cold that consumes all fire, the silence that consumes all speech._

Maybe I should bring some Greek fire with me when I face this giant. At least with that I _might_ stand a chance since that stuff is stronger than any fire attack I can produce.

"It's a good lead," Jason said. "At least we know how to kill this giant. And this sorceress… well, if Hecate believes Hazel can defeat her, then so do I."

Hazel dropped her eyes. "Now we just have to reach the House of Hades, battle our way through Gaea's forces—"

"Plus a bunch of ghost," Nico added grimly. "The spirits in that temple may not be friendly."

"—and find the Doors of Death," Hazel continued. "Assuming we can somehow arrive at the same time as Percy and Annabeth and rescue them."

Frank swallowed a bite of pancake. "We can do it. We _have_ to."

I admired the big guy's optimism. I wished he shared it.

"So, with this detour," I said. "I'm estimating four or five days to arrive at Epirus, assuming no delays for, you know, monster attacks and stuff."

Jason smiled sourly. "Yeah. Those never happened."

I looked at Hazel. "Hecate told you that Gaea as planning her big Wake Up party on August first, right? The Feast of Whatever?"

"Spes," Hazel said. "The goddess of hope."

Jason turned his fork. "Theoretically, that leaves us enough time. It's only July fifth. We should be able to close the Doors of Death, then find the giants' HQ and stop them from waking Gaea before August first."

"Theoretically," Hazel agreed. "But I'd still like to know how we make our way through the House of Hades without going insane or dying."

Nobody volunteered any ideas.

Frank set down his pancake roll like it suddenly didn't taste good. "It's July fifth. Oh, jeez, I hadn't thought of that… My grandmother—she always told me that seven was an unlucky number."

"I thought it was a lucky number," I responded.

"Not to the Chinese," Frank explained, "It was a _ghost_ number. She didn't like it when I told her there would be seven demigods on our quest. And July is the seventh month. Back in China, in the old days, people called the seventh month the _ghost month_. That's when the spirit world and the human world were closest. The living and the dead could go back and forth. Please tell me it's a coincidence we're searching for the Doors of Death during the ghost month."

No one spoke, not even me.

I wanted to think that an old Chinese belief couldn't have anything to do with the Romans and the Greeks. I thought they were totally different. But Frank's existence was proof that the cultures were tied together. The Zhang family went all the way back to Ancient Greece. They'd found their way through Rome and China and finally Canada.

Also I kept thinking about my meeting with the revenge goddess Nemesis at the Great Sat Lake. Nemesis had called me the _seventh wheel_ , the odd man out of the quest. She didn't mean seventh as in _ghost,_ did she?

Jason pressed his hands against the arms of his chair. "Let's focus on the things we can deal with. We're getting close to Bologna. Maybe we'll get more answers once we find these dwarfs that Hecate—"

The ship lurched as if it had hit an iceberg. My breakfast plate slid across the table. Nico fell backward out of his chair and banged his head against the sideboard. He collapsed on the floor with a dozen magic goblets and platters crashing down on top of him.

"Nico!" Hazel ran to help him.

"What—?" Frank tried to stand, but the ship pitched in the other direction. He stumbled into the table and went face first into my plate of scramble eggs.

If it wasn't for my concern of why the ship was doing this, I would be laughing right now.

"Look!" Jason pointed to the walls. The images of Camp Half-Blood were flickering and changing.

"Not possible," I responded. "Those walls should only show scenes from Camp Half-Blood."

Yet it was changing scenes as a huge, distorted face filled the entire port-side wall: crooked yellow teeth, a scraggly red beard, a warty nose, and two mismatched eyes—one much larger and higher than the other. The face seemed to be trying to eat its way into the room.

The other walls flickered, showing scenes from above deck. Piper stood at the helm, but something was obviously wrong. She was wrapped up in duct tape with her arms and legs bound to the control console and her mouth gagged.

At the mainmast, Coach Hedge was similarly bound and gagged, while a bizarre-looking creature—some sort of gnome/chimpanzee combo creature with poor fashion sense—dancing around him, doing the coach's hair in tiny pigtails with pink rubber bands, which really doesn't look good on that guy.

On the port-side wall, the huge ugly face receded so that I could see the entire creature—that looked like the one on Coach Hedge only wearing crazier clothes. He started leaping around the deck, stuffing things in a burlap bag—Piper's dagger, my Wii Controllers, the Myrmekes gunk I had stashed away in the control room in case I need them but can't get to them (how did he find it? Not even Hedge knew where I kept it). Then he pried the Archimedes sphere out of the command console."

"No!" I yelled.

"Uhhh," Nico groaned from the floor.

"Piper!" Jason cried.

"Monkey!" Frank yelled.

"Not monkeys," Hazel grumbled. "I think those are dwarfs."

"They just stole my stuff! Not cool!" I yelled as I ran for the stairs.


	11. Leo's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part III**

I vaguely heard Hazel shouting to the others, "Go! I'll take care of Nico!"

As if I was going to turn back. Sure, I hoped di Angelo was okay, but I had headaches of my own.

I bound up the steps, with Jason and Frank following behind me.

The situation on deck was even worse than I'd feared.

Coach Hedge and Piper were struggling against their duct tape bounds while one of the demon monkey dwarfs dance around the deck, picking up whatever wasn't tied down and sticking it in his bag. He was maybe four feet tall, making him a foot shorter than the coach, with bowed legs and chimp-like feet, his clothes were so loud they gave me vertigo. His green-plaid pants were pinned at the cuffs, and held up by bright red suspenders over a striped pink and black woman's blouse. He wore half a dozen gold watches on each arm, and a zebra-pattern cowboy hat with price tag dangling from the brim. His skin was covered with patches of scraggly red fur, though ninety percent of his body seemed to be concentrated in his magnificent eyebrows.

I was just forming the thought _Where's the other dwarf?_ When I heard a click behind me, and realized I'd just led my friends into a trap.

"Duck!" I hit the deck as the explosion blasted my eardrums.

Note to self: Do not leave boxes of magic grenades where dwarfs can reach them.

At least I was alive. I had been experimenting with all sorts of weapons based on the two Archimedes spheres I collected in Rome. I'd built grenades that could spay acid, fire, shrapnel, or freshly buttered popcorn in case we get hungry in battle. Judging from the ringing in my ears, the dwarfs had detonated the flash bang grenade, which I had filled with a rare vial of Apollo's music, pure liquid extract. It didn't kill, but it left me feeling like I'd just done a belly flop off the deep end.

I tried to get up but I found my limbs useless. I felt someone tugging at my waist—someone who smelled like heavily perfumed monkey cages.

I manage to turn over and found a brown furred dwarf standing over me. He was dressed even worse than his friend, in a green bowler's at like a leprechaun's dangling earrings, and a white and black referees shirt. He showed off the prize he'd just stolen—my tool belt—then danced away.

Oh no he did not just took my tool belt.

I tried to grab him, but my fingers were numb. The dwarf frolicked over to the nearest ballista, which his red-furred friend was priming to launch. The brown-furred dwarf jumped onto the projectile like it was a skateboard, and his friend shot him into the sky.

Red Fur pranced over to Coach Hedge, gave him a big smack on the cheek, then skipped to the rail. He bowed to me, doffing his zebra cowboy hat, and did a backflip over the side.

I managed to get up. Jason was already on his feet, stumbling and running into things. Frank had turned into a silverback gorilla but the flash grenade had hit him hard. He was sprawled on the deck with his tongue hanging out and his gorilla eyes rolled up in his head.

"Piper!" Jason staggered to the helm, carefully pulled the gag out of her mouth.

"Don't waste your time on me!" she said. "Go after _them_!"

At the mast, Coach Hedge mumbled, "HHHmmmmm-hmmm!" Which probably means kill them.

For once I agreed with both of them. No one takes off with my Archimedes Sphere _and_ tool belt and get away with it.

"Wait here!" I told Jason and rushed down to the quarter decks into my room where I kept the second sphere. Those dwarves must of not tried to steal anything below deck because it was still on my work table.

Along with the magical grenades, I been working on this sphere with brand new apps in case something like this happened.

I grabbed the sphere and headed above deck and found Jason. "You feel good enough to control the winds yet? I need a lift."

Jason frowned. "Sure, but—"

"Good. We have some monkey dudes to catch," I said as I held up my second sphere, "The best part is, they left the one thing I can use to track them."

…

Jason and I touched down in a big piazza lined with white marble government buildings and outdoor cafés. Bikes and Vespas clogged the surrounding streets, but the square itself was empty except for pigeons and a few old men drinking espresso.

None of the locals seemed to notice the huge Greek warship hovering over the piazza, or the fact that Jason and I had just flown down, Jason wielding a gold sword and me holding a bronze sphere the size of a basketball.

"Where to?" Jason asked.

"Hold on," I replied as I punched in a few codes. A camera lens popped out and flash a map of the area. There was a single red dot on the map.

"I program this sphere with a GPS that shows any Archimedes spheres in a hundred-mile radius," I explained. "See that red dot on the map. That's the Archimedes sphere the dwarves took. If we find that as well as our thieves."

"Leo, you're a genius," Jason said.

"I know," I replied. "It looks like the one who took the Archimedes sphere have stopped moving. We better hurry in case he decides to leave it there and go somewhere else."

We waded through a lake of pigeons, then maneuvered down a side street of clothing stores and gelato shops where it turned out gelato was another name for ice cream. The sidewalks were lined with white columns covered in graffiti. A few panhandlers asked for change in Italian—which I didn't need a translator to understand panhandles normally meant for money when it comes to panhandlers.

Also, I learned very quickly how loud Italians are. I saw a couple a who seemed to be arguing so loudly that they might as well be in a fight, but as we got closer we found out they weren't arguing but rather yelling about something the girl saw in some store.

If it wasn't for me holding my second Archimedes sphere I would be patting my waist right now, hoping my tool belt would magically have appeared. I'd come dependent on that tool belt for a lot of things, and for it to be taken felt as if the dwarves took one of my hand.

Geez, if I'm like this now, I don't even want to think what it would be like when I go fight this terrifying giant.

Just then I was literally yanked out of my trance when Jason yanked me to a stop. "Leo, look!"

I looked at what Jason was pointing. We were in a small piazza with a huge bronze statue of a naked Neptune looming over us.

"Ah, jeez." I averted my eyes. I really didn't need to see the god looks without clothes this early in the morning. Especially the god who was Percy's father's Roman form.

The sea god stood on a big marble column in the middle of a fountain that wasn't working (which seemed kind of ironic). On either side of Neptune, little winged Cupid dudes were sitting, kid of chillin', like _What's up?_ Neptune himself was throwing his hip to one side like an Elvis Presley move. He gripped his trident loosely in his right hand and stretched his left hand out like he was blessing me, or possibly attempting to levitating me.

"Some kind of clue?" I asked.

Jason frowned. "Maybe, maybe not. There are statues of the gods all over the place in Italy. I'd just feel better if we ran across Jupiter. Or Minerva. Anybody but Neptune."

"I take it Neptune isn't as friendly as Percy's dad?" I joked.

Jason shrugged. "Possibly. I never met Poseidon, but I do know Neptune's more war like form is feared by the Romans for a reason."

"Okay…" I looked at the map. "According to the map, the sphere isn't here. So we better keep looking."

"Ooh look!" shriek a nearby voice. "Another one of those balls."

"I want it!" said another voice from above.

Jason stepped back, his sword ready. I clutch the second Archimedes Sphere tightly as I tried to find the dwarves. The red-furred dwarf in the cowboy hat was sitting about thirty feet away at the nearest café table, sipping an espresso held by his monkey-like foot. The brown-furred dwarf in the green bowler was perched on the marble pedestal at Neptune's feet.

"We can each have a matching set," said Red Fur.

"Oh yeah," said brown fur, who was pulling random tools out of my belt, tossing aside wrenches, hammers, and staple gun."

"Stop that!" I tried to grab the dwarf's feet with one hand, but I couldn't reach.

"Too short?" Brown Fur sympathized.

"You're calling _me_ short?" I looked around for something to throw, but there was nothing but pigeons, and there was _no way_ I was throwing my second Archimedes Sphere. "Give me my bet and the other Archimedes Sphere, you stupid—"

"Now, now," said the Brown Fur. "We haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Akmon. And my brother over there—"

"—is the handsome one!" the red-furred dwarf lifted his espresso. Judging from his dilated eyes and his maniacal grin, he didn't need any more caffeine. "Passalos! Singer of songs! Drinker of coffee! Stealer of shiny stuff!"

"Please!" shrieked his brother, Akmon. "I steal _much_ better than you."

Passalos snorted. "Stealing naps, maybe!" He took out a knife—Piper's knife to be exact—and started picking his teeth with it.

"Hey!" Jason yelled. "That's my girlfriend's knife!"

He lunged at Passalos, but the red-furred dwarf was too quick. He sprang from his chair, bounced off Jason's head did a flip and landed next to me. I quickly raised Archimedes Sphere above me as the dwarf wrapped his hairy arm around my waist.

"Save me?" the dwarf pleaded.

"Get off!" I tried to shake him off but Passalos did a backward somersault and landed out of my reach. My pants promptly fell around my knees.

"Hey!" I stared at Passalos, who was now grinning and holing a small zigzaggy strip of metal. Somehow, the dwarf stolen the zipper right off my pants.

Then, when I was trying to hoist up my pants with one hand the other dwarf took my second Archimedes sphere.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"Now we have a matching pair!" Akmon said.

"Good! Because this isn't shiny enough." Passalos tossed away my zipper.

Jason lunged with his sword. Passallos launched himself straight up and was suddenly sitting on the pedestal next to his brother. Passalos took off his cowboy hat. Like a magician producing a rabbit, he pulled out the first Archimedes sphere and the two brothers started tinkering with the two ancient bronze dials.

"Stop!" I yelled. "Those are delicate machines."

Jason came to my side and glanced up at the dwarves. "Who are you two, anyway?"

"The Kerkopes!" Akmon narrowed his eyes at Jason. "I bet you're a son of Jupiter, right? I can always tell."

"Just like Black Bottom," Passalos agreed.

"Black Bottom?" I resisted the urge to jump at the dwarves' feet again. I was afraid the two brothers were going to ruin the Archimedes sphere any second now.

"Yes, you know." Akmon grinned. "Hercules. We called him Black Bottom because he used to go around without clothes. He got so tan that his backside, well—"

"I don't need to know," Jason interrupted.

"At least he had a sense of humor," Passalos said. "He was going to kill us when we stole from him, but he let us go because he liked our jokes. Not like you two. Grumpy, grumpy!"

"Hey, I've got a sense of humor," I snarled. "Give me back our stuff, and I'll tell you a joke with a good punch line."

"Nice try!" Akmon started spinning the Archimedes sphere he had in one hand, "But we weren't born yesterday, Blue Bottom!"

 _Blue Bottom?_

I glanced down and found that my pants had slipped around my ankles again, revealing my blue undershorts. "That's it!" I shouted. "Give me my stuff now, or I'll show you how funny a flaming dwarf is."

My hands caught on fire.

"Now we're talking." Jason thrust his sword into the sky. Dark clouds began to gather over the piazza as thunder boomed.

"Oh, scary!" Akmon shrieked.

"Yes," Passalos agreed. "If only we had a secret lair to hide in."

"But this statue will do," Akmos sighed.

My gut twisted as the fire died in my hands. I realized something was very wrong and I feel stupid for not noticed earlier, "Trap!" and dove out of the fountain. Unfortunately, Jason was too busy summoning his storm.

I rolled on my back as five golden cords shot from Neptune statue's fingers. One barely missed my feet, but the rest homed on Jason, wrapping him like a rodeo calf and yanking him upside down.

A bolt of lightning blasted the tines of Neptune's trident, sending arcs of electricity up and down the statue, but the Kerkopes had already disappeared.

"Bravo!" Akmon applauded from a nearby café table while still holding an Archimedes sphere. "You make a wonderful piñata, son of Jupiter!"

"Yes!" Passalos agreed. "Hercules hung us upside down once, you know. Oh, revenge is sweet!"

I summoned a fireball. I lobbed it at Passalos, who was trying to juggle two pigeons and his Archimedes sphere.

"Eek!" the dwarf jumped free of the explosion, dropping the sphere and letting the pigeons fly.

I caught the sphere before it hit the ground.

"Time to leave!" Akmon decided.

He tipped his bowler and sprang away, jumping from table to table. Pasallos did a back flip and ran after his brother.

Great, so I'm back to having only one Archimedes spheres. Those two are going to pay. But first I need to help Jason, who was still hanging upside down thoroughly hog tied except for his sword arm. He was trying to cut the cords with his gold blade but having no luck when he saw the dwarves leaving.

"Go after them!" Jason growled. "I'll follow you when I get out of this."

The last thing I wanted was some alone time with monkey dwarves. But if I'm going to get the other sphere and my toolbelt back, I need to go after them.

I did a quick activation of the Archimede's Sphere finder on the sphere I had and followed after the moving red dot.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for not posting this and the next chapter last night, but like I said, whether or not I post four chapters in a day depends on the chapters I'm working on.

How do you guys like how I put Leo's second Archimedes' sphere in use? I figured I should put the second one to use.


	12. Leo's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part IV**

Good thing I got my hands on one of the spheres, otherwise I would have lost those dwarves.

The sphere lead me around town in what seem like a wild goose chase, until I turned a corner and saw two ancient stone towers jutting into the sky, side by side, much taller than anything else in the neighborhood—maybe medieval watchtowers? They lean in different directions like gearshifts on a race car.

On the tower on the right, Kerkopes were scaling the wall. When they reached the top, they climbed around the back and disappeared.

Had they gone inside? I could see some tiny windows at the top covered with metal grates; but I doubted those would stop the dwarfs. I watched for a minute but the Kerkopes didn't appear, which meant I had to get up there and look for them.

"Great," I muttered. No flying friend to carry me up. The ship was too far away to call for help. I could jury-rig the Archimedes sphere I got back into some sort of flying device, maybe, but only if I had my tool belt—which I didn't. I scanned the neighborhood, trying to think. Half a block down, a set of double glass doors opened and an old lady hobbled out, carrying plastic shopping bags.

A grocery store, huh? That could do if I had money.

I patted my pockets. To my amazement, I still had some euro notes from my time in Rome. Those stupid dwarfs had taken everything _except_ my money.

I ran for the store as fast as my zipperless pants allowed.

I scoured the aisles, looking for things I could use. I didn't ask anyone where's the stuff I need—mostly because I don't know any Italian words, but partly because I don't want to end up in an Italian jail.

Fortunately, I didn't need to read labels. I could tell just from picking up a toothpaste tube whether it contained potassium nitrate. I also found charcoal, sugar, baking soda, bug spray, aluminum foil—everything I need, plus a laundry cord I could use as a belt. I added some Italian junk food to the basket, just to sort of disguise my more suspicious purchases, then dumped my stuff at the register. A wide-eyed checkout lady asked me some questions—rather loudly—that I didn't understand, but I managed to pay, get a bag, and race out.

I ducked into the nearest doorway where I could keep an eye on the towers. I started to work, summoning fire and dry out materials and do a little cooking that otherwise would have taken days to complete.

Every once in a while I sneak a look at the tower, but there was no sign of the dwarfs. I could only hope they were still up there. Making my arsenal took just a few minutes—because I'm _that_ good—but it felt like hours.

Jason didn't show up and no word from anyone from the ship. I just hope they were doing fine.

Unfortunately, that left me on my own with my bag of junk food, and a few highly improvised weapons made from sugar and toothpaste. Oh, and my Archimedes sphere. That was kind of important. I hoped I hadn't ruined it by filling it with chemical powder.

I ran to the tower and found the entrance. I started up the winding stairs inside, only to be stopped at a ticket booth by some caretaker who yelled at me in Italian. I managed to bribe him to let me go up with a yellow-and-red bag of junk food called Fonzies. I had no clue what those were, but the caretaker took the bag and let me go.

The stairs went on, and on, and on. The whole tower seemed to be nothing but an excuse to build staircase.

I stopped on a landing and slumped against a narrow barred window in order to catch my breath. I was sweating like crazy, and my heart thumped against my ribs. Stupid Kerkopes. I just hope they haven't booked it before I get up there.

Once I felt good enough, I kept climbing.

Finally, after my legs started feeling like overcooked noodles, I reached the summit.

The room was about the size of a broom closet, with barred windows on all four walls. Shoved in the corners were sacks of treasures, shiny goodies spilling all over the floor. I spotted Piper's knife, the second Archimedes sphere, The jars of Myrmekes gunk with bronze lids (Probably why they took it) an old leather-bound book, a few interesting-looking mechanical devices, and enough gold to give Hazel's horse a stomachache.

At first, I thought the dwarfs had left until I looked up and saw Akmon and Passalos hanging upside down from the rafters by their chimp feet, playing antigravity poker. When they saw me, they threw their cards like confetti and broke out in applause.

"I told you he'd do it," Akmon shrieked in delight.

Passalos shrugged and took off one of his gold watches and handed it to his brother. "You win. I didn't think he was that dumb."

They both dropped to the floor. Akmon was wearing my tool belt—I was was so close that I had to resist the urge to lunge for it.

Passalos straightened his cowboy hat and kicked open the grate on the nearest window. "What should we make him climb next, brother? The dome of San Luca?"

I wanted to throttle these dwarfs, but I forced a smile. "Oh, that sounds fun! But before you guys go, you forgot something shiny."

"Impossible!" Akmon scowled. "We were very thorough."

"You sure?" I held up my grocery bag. "You already missed one shiny that was in my cabin. For all you know I got shinier stuff in here."

The dwarfs inched closer. As I had hoped, their curiosity was so strong that they couldn't resist.

"Look," I brought out my first weapon—a lump of dried chemicals wrapped in aluminum foil—and lit it on fire with my hand.

I knew enough to turn away when it popped, but the dwarfs were staring right at it. Toothpaste, sugar, and bug spray weren't as good as Apollo's music, but they made for a pretty decent flash-bang.

The Kerkopes wailed, clawing at their eyes. They stumble toward the window, but I set off my homemade firecrackers—snapping them around the dwarf's feet to keep them off balance. Then, for good measure, I turned the dial of the Archimedes sphere in my hand, which unleashed a plume of white fog that filled the room.

Smoke didn't bother me—at least smoke from Fire. Being immune to fire, I'd stood in smoky bonfires, endured dragon breath, and cleaned out blazing forges at camp plenty of times. While the dwarfs were hacking and wheezing, I grabbed my tool belt from Akmon, calmly summoned some bungee cords, and tied up the dwarfs.

"My eyes!" Akmon coughed. "My tool belt!"

"My feet are on fire!" Passalos wailed. "Not shiny! Not shiny at all.

After making sure they were securely bound, I dragged the Kerkopes into one corner and began rifling through their treasured. I ended up finding an empty sack which was good, because I doubt I can carry all our stuff by myself. I retrieved Piper's dagger (which I left out of the sack as I figure Jason wanted to return that), the myrmekes jars, a few of my prototype grenades, the second Archimedes (undamaged thank gods), and a few other odds and ends the dwarves had taken from the _Argo II_.

"Please!" Akmon wailed. "Don't take our shinies!"

"We'll make you a deal!" Passalos suggested. "We'll cut you in for ten percent if you let us go.

"Afraid not," I muttered, "I'm taking back what you stolen from the ship and something else we were told you have we need."

"Twenty percent!"

Just then, thunder boomed overhead. Lightning flashed, and the bars on the nearest window burst into sizzling, melted stubs of iron.

Jason flew in like Peter Pan, electricity sparking around him and his gold sword steaming.

I couldn't help but whistle appreciatively. "Man, you just wasted an awesome entrance."

Jason frowned. He noticed the hog-tied Kerkopes. "What the—"

"All by myself," Leo said. "I'm special that way. How did you find me?"

"Uh, the smoke," Jason managed. "And I heard popping noises. Were you having a gunfire in here?"

"Something like that." I tossed him Piper's dagger, and return to rummaging through the bags of dwarf shinies for whatever Hecate told Hazel we need. The only problem is that I had no clue what that was. There were coins, gold nuggets, jewelry, paper clips, foil wrapper, cuff links.

I decided to go for the stuff that didn't belong. What I found because of it was an old bronze navigation device, like an astrolabe from a ship. It was badly damaged and seemed to be missing some pieces, and yet I still found it fascinating.

"Take it!" Passalos offered. "Odysseus made it, you know—from the Odyssey! When he was an old man in Ithaca. One of his last inventions, and we stole it. But if you want it keep it. It doesn't work always—something about a missing crystal."

I turned to Jason. "Didn't Nico say something about Odysseus visiting the underworld?"

Jason nodded. "You think you can fix it?"

"I don't know, I'm not even sure how helpful it'll be, but I'll bring it just in case," I said as I slipped it into one of my tool belt's magic pockets.

I kept searching through the other strange pieces of loot. I took out this leather-bound book. Its title was in gold leaf, in a language I couldn't understand, but nothing else about the book seemed shiny. I didn't figure the Kerkopes were the reading types.

"What's this?" I wagged it at the dwarfs, who were still teary-eyed from the smoke.

"Nothing," Akmon said. "Just a book. It had a pretty gold cover, so we took it from him."

"Him?" I asked.

Akmon and Passalos exchange nervous look.

"Minor god," Passalos said. "In Venice. Really, it's nothing."

"Venice." Jason frowned. "Isn't that our next stop?"

"Yeah," I examined the book. I couldn't read the text, but it had lots of illustrations: scythes, different plants, a picture of the sun, a team of oxen pulling a cart. I didn't see how any of that was important, but if the book had been stolen from a minor god in Venice—the next place Hecate told us to visit—then this _had_ to be what we're looking for.

"What exactly can we find this minor god?" I asked.

"No!" Akmon shrieked. "You can't take it back to him! If he finds out we stole it—"

"He'll destroy you," Jason guessed. "Which is what we'll do if you don't tell us, and we're a _lot_ closer." He pressed the point of his sword against Akmon's furry throat.

"Okay, okay!" the dwarf shrieked. "La Casa Nera! Calle Frezzeria!"

"Is that an address?" I asked.

The dwarfs both nodded vigorously.

" _Please_ don't tell him we stole it," Passalos begged. "He isn't nice at all!"

"Who is he?" Jason asked. "What god?"

"I—I can't say," Passalos stammered.

"He means we can't pronounce it," Akmon explained. "Too many syllables!"

They both burst into tears. I had a hard time staying mad at them.

Jason lowered his sword. "What do you want to do with them, Leo?"

I looked at the dwarfs. When they first stole our stuff, I would have been glad to destroy these dwarves. I'd fought lots of monsters before and never felt bad about dissolving them. But now it was different. I sort of admired them. They played cool pranks and like shiny things. I could relate. Besides, Percy and Annabeth were in Tartarus right now, hopefully still alive, trudging toward the Doors of Death. The idea of sending these twin monkey boys there to face the same nightmarish problem… well, it didn't seem right.

I remembered my dream about Camp Half-Blood in ruins, Greek and Roman bodies littering the fields. I remembered Octavian speaking with the Earth Goddess's voice: _The Romans move east from New York. They advanced on your camp, and nothing can slow them down._

 _Maybe, maybe not_ , I thought.

I looked down at the dwarfs. "I have a deal for you. Except for all the stuff you stolen from my friend and my ship, this astrolabe, and this book, which we'll take back to the dude in Venice _without_ telling him you stole them, and we'll let you go free."

"Uh, Leo—" Jason said.

I waved off what he was about to say. "In return you have to do something for us. I'm going to send you somewhere to steal from some people, harass them, make life hard for them any way you can. You have to follow my directions exactly. You have to swear on the River of Styx."

Both brothers looked at each other with broad grins.

"We swear," Passalos said. "Stealing from people is our specialty, and we love harassment"

"Yeah! You're as smart as Hercules! I will call you Black Bottom, the sequel!" Akmon said. "Where are we going.

"Yeah, no thanks on the nickname. As for where you're going—" I grinned at them, "Have either of you heard of New York?"


	13. Percy's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part I**

Ever get the feeling there's something you're forgetting even though you're in the place that should jog whatever you're forgetting? Well that's what I been feeling since Annabeth and I started following the River of Phlegethon.

I mean, I know Tartarus is the home of every destroyed monster until they're reformed, and of course the spirit Tartarus itself. But I can't shake this feeling that there's something else down here we're forgetting. A nagging feeling that other than Tartarus there was something else more powerful than the monsters we might face.

Anyways, Annabeth and I have been following the River Phlegethon, stumbling over the glassy black terrain, jumping crevices, and hiding behind rocks when the vampire girls slowed in front of us.

Even with Myrmekes gunk masking our demigod scents, it was tricky to stay far enough to avoid getting spotted but close enough to keep Kelli and her comrades in view through the dark hazy air. The heat from the river baked my skin. Every breath was like inhaling sulfur-scented fiberglass. When we need water, I poured some out of my thermos, but when we need a healing drink, we drink liquid fire.

At least Annabeth's ankle seemed to have healed since we fell into Tartarus. She still had a slight limp, but she wasn't showing signs of pain. Her various cuts and scrapes had faded (which made me wish I can transfer the invulnerability of the Achilles Curse to her without giving her the whole curse itself). She tied her blond hair was back with a strip of denim torn from her pant leg, her dagger strapped to her belt, backpack strapped to her back, and in the fiery light of the river, her gray eyes flickered. Despite being beat-up, sooty, and dressed like a homeless person, she looked great to me.

So what if we were in Tartarus? So what if we stood a slim chance of surviving? I was so glad that we were together, I had the ridiculous urge to smile.

As for myself, my clothes looked like I'd been through a hurricane of broken glass. I was thirty hungry, and scarred out of my mind (you have to be crazy not to be scared while in the monsters' home turf), but other than that, I'm solid thanks to the River Phlegethon. After drinking its water, I'm not as tired as I thought I would be after summoning that water blast to save Annabeth and me earlier.

Time was impossible to judge down here. Annabeth agreed not to bring out Daedalus laptop unless we _absolutely_ needed too after Arachne tried to attack her. I doubt it attracted monsters if we used it (I doubt Daedalus designed such an advance laptop without having some kind of magical protection that keeps monsters from finding a demigod that uses it), but we didn't want to take any chances.

We trudged along, following the river as it cut through the harsh landscape. Fortunately, the _empousai_ weren't exactly speed walkers. The shuffled on their mismatched bronze and donkey legs, hissing and fighting with each other, apparently in no hurry to reach the Doors of Death.

Once, the demons sped up in excitement and swarmed something that looked like a beached carcass on the riverbank. I couldn't tell what it was—remains of a monster that didn't turn to dust? An animal of some kind? The _empousai_ attacked it with relish.

When the demons moved up, Annabeth and I reached the spot and found nothing left except a few splintered bones and glistening stains drying in the heat of the river. I had no doubt the _empousai_ would devour demigods with the same gusto.

"Come on." I led Annabeth gently away from the scene. "We don't want to lose them."

As we walked, I started hoping things would get better for Annabeth and me once this quest is over. I mean, what else does the fates have plan for us? It can't get any more dangerous than this, right?

I remembered the vision I saw when the Fates cut Luke's life line after he died. It showed that I would live a full life. I still had hopes that it would happen, that I'll live a full life with Annabeth, hopefully in New Rome after the rift is healed between Greeks and Romans, only leaving to visit our relatives, and from time to time Camp Half-Blood.

After a few more miles, the _empousai_ disappeared over a ridge. When Annabeth and I caught up, we found ourselves at the edge of another massive cliff. The River Phlegethon spilled over the side in jagged tiers of fiery waterfalls, the demon ladies were picking their way down the cliff, jumping from ledge to ledge like a mountain goat.

There was no way we could catch up with them now. Not from climbing down the cliff I mean. Not that we had much to look forward too once we do.

The landscape below us was a bleak, ash-gray plain bristling with black trees, like insect hair. The ground was pocked with blisters. Every once in a while, a bubble would swell and burst, disgorging a monster with a larva from an egg.

I read about a lot of monsters in Hal's book and learn about them in monster fighting class, but I never heard of one like that.

Above us wasn't much better. There were dark winged shapes spiraled in and out of the blood red clouds and something told me those weren't the servants of Hades known as the Furies.

I looked down and saw all newly formed monsters were crawling and hobbling in the same direction—toward a bank of black fog that swallowed the horizon like a storm front. The Phlegethon flowed in the same direction until about halfway across the plain, where it met another river of black water. The two flowed as one toward the black fog.

The longer I looked into that storm of darkness, the less I wanted to go there and the more I get this suspicious feeling that I'm forgetting something crucial about Tartarus. But if the Doors of Death were in that direction, it was our only chance to get home.

"We could try jumping and use my thermos to soften our landing," I suggested.

"We could, but considering we don't know what's in the dark fog, we should conserve our strength," Annabeth replied.

"Then we climb," I responded.

I couldn't see the _empousai_ below us anymore. It seemed like they disappeared behind one of the ridges, but that didn't matter anymore. We know where we need to go—into the dark horizon with a bunch of other monsters. I was just brimming with enthusiasm for that.


	14. Percy's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part II**

They really should include stealth rock climbing lessons in Camp Half-Blood. Because if they did, I bet with the lava pouring down at you and the walls clashing creating rockslide would make it harder than what Annabeth and I are doing right now.

Ever since we started climbing down the cliff, we had to keep our footing, try to avoid rockslides that would alert the _empousai_ to their presence, and of course making sure we don't plummet to our deaths (which, believe it or not, is not the first time it happened).

About halfway down the precipice, we had to take a break on a ledge next to a roaring waterfall.

We sipped on my magical thermos clean water as Annabeth leaned against me as I put my hand around her. Despite the risk we were taking, I couldn't help but feel happy right now. We're in the monster's home turf, heading to a fog of darkness, and I'm still getting this nagging feeling I'm forgetting something about this place we should look out for, but with Annabeth by my side, I can't help but think as long as we're together, we can survive Tartarus.

"No sign of Briares' brothers yet, or the Elder Cyclopes yet," I said.

"That might be a good thing," Annabeth said, "I mean, if we find them heading to the Door of Death, then it could mean they have joined Gaea."

I nodded understanding what she meant. It would be really bad if Two of the Hundred Handed ones and all three Elder Cyclopes have joined their mother Gaea in destroying Olympus.

"At least Bob is no longer down here," Annabeth said. "His life probably be in greater danger down here after the Second Titan War."

That's true. During the last Titan War, due to his amnesia (long story) Bob unknowingly betrayed his siblings by not only helping us but standing up against Kronos. Down here he would be considered as a traitor to Kronos' cause and as one of Gaea's Titan children.

Come to think about it, I haven't seen my old Titan-friend since after the Battle of Manhattan when the Olympians pardoned him and welcome him to Olympus like he was an old friend.

I gazed across the ashen plains. Now that I think about it, the other Titans are supposed to be down here, and yet that seem to not be the source of my nagging feeling—at least, not completely. And the closer we're getting to that dark fog the stronger it gets.

I decided to let it slide for now. I kissed Annabeth on the forehead. "We should get moving. You want some more fire to drink before we go?"

"Ugh. I'll pass."

We struggled to our feet and started to descend once more. The rest of the cliff was harder to clime than above—nothing more than a cross hatching of tiny ledges—but we kept climbing down.

My body went on autopilot. My fingers cramped and I was shaking from hunger. I wondered if we would die of starvation down here.

 _Keep climbing,_ I told myself as my stomach complained.

After what seemed forever, I reached the bottom. I helped Annabeth down and we collapsed on the ground.

Ahead of us stretched miles of wasteland bubbling with monstrous larvae and big insect-hair trees. To our right, the Phlegethon split into branches that etched the plain, widening into a delta of smoke and fire. To the north, along the main route of the river, the ground was riddled with cave entrances. Here and there, spires of rock jutted up like exclamation points.

Under my hand, the soil felt alarmingly warm and smooth. I tried to grab a handful, and realized under a thin layer of dirt and debris, the ground was a single vast membrane… like skin.

My best guess is that we're sitting on the skin of Tartarus, which wasn't a happy thought.

I didn't mention it to Annabeth, but I started to feel like the spirit of this place was watching us. It was like the ridge we climbed down was teeth and the spires of rocks were broken ribs.

I quickly decided to push those thoughts aside. The last thing we need is for one of us to start panicking.

Annabeth stood, wiping soot from her face. She gazed toward the darkness on the horizon. "We're going to be completely exposed, crossing this plain."

"Maybe I should try some Mist Manipulation," I suggested. "Maybe make us look like _Spactai_ or _Myrmekes_ since we already smelled like the undead or something from an ant hill."

Annabeth shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to try."

About a hundred yards ahead of them, a blister burst on the ground. A monster clawed its way out… a glistening telkhine with silk fur, a seal-like body, and stunted human limbs. It managed to crawl a few yards before something shot out of the nearest cave, so fast that all I could register was a dark green reptilian head. The monster snatched the squealing telkhine in its jaws and dragged it into darkness.

Yeah, it wouldn't' hurt to try a little Mist Manipulation, I thought to myself sarcastically. It wouldn't hurt at all.

Still if we don't try something these monsters would identify us as demigods anyways.

I looked one last look at the cliffs, but there was no going back. I would've given a thousand golden drachmas to have my distant nephew Frank Zhang with us right now—good old Frank, who always seemed to show up when needed and could turn into an eagle or a dragon to fly us across this stupid wasteland.

I never use the mist to make us appear as monsters before. Sure I used it to disguise our appearance but never as monsters. I was about to snap my fingers and do my little Mist magic when I saw something move to the right.

"We got company," I said, drawing out my sword.

Annabeth drew out her dagger, but it was too late.

The _empousai_ we were following earlier emerged from the rocks around us—all five of them forming a ring. A perfect trap.

Kelli limped forward on her mismatched legs. Her fiery hair burn across her shoulders like a miniature Phlegethon waterfall. Her tattered cheerleading outfit was splattered with rusty-brown stains. She was fixed on me with her glowing red eyes as she bared her fangs.

"Percy Jackson," she cooed. "How awesome! I don't even have to return to the mortal world to destroy you!"


	15. Percy's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part III**

I recalled how dangerous Kelli was the last time we'd fought in the Labyrinth. Despite those mismatched legs, she could move fast when she wanted to. She'd dodge my sword strikes and would have eaten my face if Annabeth hadn't stabbed her from behind.

But now she had four friends with her—none of which I doubt are trainees like her last buddy I destroyed at Goode.

"And your friend _Annabeth_ is with you!" Kelli hissed with laughter. "Oh, yeah, I totally remembered her."

Kelli touched her sternum where the tip of the knife had exited when Annabeth stabbed her in the back. "Looks like I can have double the revenge."

Annabeth and I stood shoulder to shoulder as we always do when we're ready to fight. But we were outnumbered, and the environment of Tartarus still was affecting us. Even I'm not completely immune to the toxic air.

I considered calling Mr. O'Leary, my hellhound friend who could shadow travel. But I left my hellhound whistle back on the _Argo II_ , and I'm not sure how bringing her to Tartarus would affect her. Not to mention, Daedalus left her in my care because she couldn't return to the Underworld, and I don't want to risk her safety here.

Then I came up with an idea.

"It's not really wise to kill us," I said. "Not after the good we did for your mistress Hecate."

The _Empousai_ hissed at the name of their godly creator.

"What are you talking about?" Kelli asked.

"Oh, you don't know?" I asked. "I guess Gaea kept it a secret so she can still use you against your creator."

The empousai looked around confused.

"What?" asked the emposai called Serephone.

"Well, after the Titan war, I asked the Olympians to pardon all the gods and goddesses who joined the Titan Army and their kids," I explained, "Including Hecate."

"That's right!" Annabeth responded, "Hecate is on our side now. If you're working for Gaea, then you're betraying Hecate."

The _empousai_ shifted uncomfortably.

"Enough!" Kelli responded. "You're lying."

"Honest to all the gods of Olympus we're not," Annabeth replied. "We even built a cabin for her in Camp Half-Blood in her honor."

"I doubt Hecate would be that her servants has betrayed her to work for the Goddess who wants her dead," I said.

Serephone seemed uneasy. "If they're right, maybe we should stop listening to Gaea."

"Shut up, Serephone!" Kelli screeched. " _Gods,_ you're annoying!"

"I will not cross the Dark Lady."

Annabeth took the opening we just created. "You'd all be better following Serephone. She's older and wiser."

"Yes!" Serephone shrieked. "Follow me!"

Kelli lashed out at Serephone starting a fight. However, when it was over, Kelli stood triumphant over a pile of dust. From her claw hung the tattered remains of Serephone's dress.

"Any more _issues_?" Kelli snapped at her sisters. "Hecate is the goddess of the Mist! Her ways are mysterious. Who knows which side she truly favors? She is also the goddess of the crossroads, and she expects us to make our own choices. I choose the path that will bring us the most demigod blood! I choose Gaea!"

Her friends hissed in approval.

"For two years I churned in the void," Kelli said. "Do you know how completely _annoying_ it is to be vaporized, Annabeth Chase? Slowly re-forming, fully conscious, in searing pain for months and years as your body regrows, then finally breaking the crust of this place and clawing your way back to daylight? All because some _little girl_ stabbed you in the back?"

Her baleful eyes held Annabeth's. "I wonder what happens if a demigod is killed in Tartarus. I doubt it's ever happened before. Let's find out."

I sprang into action, slashing Riptide in a huge arc. I cut one of the demons in half, but Kelli dodged and charged Annabeth. The other two _empousai_ launched themselves at me. They manage to try and slash my sword arm and back, only to find they couldn't break through my skin.

"Impossible! Kelli didn't say anything about there being invulnerable demigods!" one of them screJeched.

I slashed through one and twist my body in order to butted the other forcing her into the ground. I stabbed her in the gut causing her to disintegrate.

Annabeth was holding up as best as she could against Kelli. She managed to scoop up gravel and flung it in Kelli's eyes causing her to wail.

Meanwhile the last of the Kelli's friends was trying to rip me to shreds. At this point I spiraled out my shield to protect my left armpit as she slash and jabbed at my skin, trying to kill me.

Then I heard something that caused my heart sank: Annabeth screaming.

I turned to see that Kelli had managed to rake her claws on Annabeth's that was holding her knife. Now she was on the ground holding her arm in pain.

My vampire used this moment to try and bite my neck only to shriek in pain herself. My guess is she broke her tooth on my invulnerable neck.

I used this moment to stab her in the chest and twist like I was trying to disarm her, causing the monster to disintegrate.

Just then the ground shook as if something big and heavy just jumped down from the cliff above. I heard a shrieked and turned to see that Kelli was in the hands of the titan: Bob.


	16. Percy's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part IV**

I never been happier to see the former Titan of the West (once known as Iapetus), in my life. Not even when he helped Nico break me out of Underworld Prison (long story).

Bob hasn't changed much since the Battle of Manhattan. He still was ten feet tall, wish wild silver Einstein hair, pure silver eyes, and muscular arms. The only think that has changed was now he was wearing a gray dress shirt with silver linings, and black rip jeans instead of his former jumpsuit he use to wear. I'm guessing he got a new set of clothes since the Olympians welcomed him back to Olympus.

Bob strangled Kelli who was in his hands causing her to shriek.

"You will not hurt my friends!" he bellowed before crushing Kelli to dust.

"Bob!" I yelled. "I can't believe it! Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Percy called me!" the big guy grinned. "Yes, he did. I even brought other two he called."

"Others?" Annabeth asked tried to sit up, but winced. Her arm was bleeding badly.

Bob frowned when he noticed Annabeth's wound. "Owie! I'll help."

He touched Annabeth's forearm and it mended instantly. "All better."

"Bob, what did you mean you brought others?" I asked.

"Well, I couldn't find the three one eye friends, but I found the other two," Bob said.

"Other two?" Annbeth asked.

My eyes widened as I realized what he meant. "Wait you don't mean?"

Suddenly two more figures jumped down each were humanoid with a hundred hands protruding from his chest and eyes that were solid brown. The only difference was the pants they were wearing. One had solid brown pants while the other had blue jeans. Instantly I realized they were Briares' brothers—the other two Hundred Handed ones.

"It's an honor to finally meet you two: Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson." The one with the brown pants said.

"Y-you know us?" Annabeth asked.

"Of course," the other one said. "Even down here, we heard of the stories from other monsters of what you two and your friends did for our brother Briares. My name is Gyges."

"And I'm Cottus," the other one replied. "When we heard of our mother's rising, we knew it was a matter of time we be reunited with our brother."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked. "Are you working for Gaea?"

Both Hekatonkheires laughed.

"No, you miss understand us," Gyges said. "We have no intention to join Gaea. We know how evil our mother is."

"Besides, the Olympians were more of our family than the Titans or the Giants," Cottus said, "Besides, if our mother really cared about us, she wouldn't have let Kronos locked us up again along with our brothers Briares and the Cyclopes with that Kampê as our jailer."

I can't argue there.

"Did I do good?" Bob asked.

"You did great Bob," I replied. "But I don't get what you're doing down here?"

"I was at Hades' Palace—I still work there part time," Bob explained, "Then I heard Percy said, _Bob_ several times and I knew you needed my help. So I came down here and found these two. At first they thought I was someone called Iapetus but after I explained myself, they agreed to come."

"Bob, we must go," Gyges said. "We need to get them to the Doors."

"The doors? You know where they're at?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," Cottus replied. "Like we said earlier, we were planning to use it to reunite with our brother Briares and help against the Giants."

Annabeth and I looked at each other. We couldn't believe our luck. Just hours ago we were on our own, risking our lives, but now we had the help we needed.


	17. Frank's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part I**

I woke up as a python, which was strange to me.

Changing into an animal wasn't confusing. I did that all the time. But I had never changed from one animal to another in my sleep before. I was pretty sure I didn't doze off as a snake. Usually, I slept like a dog—literally.

I'd discovered that I got through the night much better if I curled up on my bunk in the shape of a bulldog. For whatever reason, my nightmares didn't bother me as much and the constant screaming in my head disappeared. Maybe because I'm using the gift Poseidon bestowed on my family.

Right now, I have no idea why I'd become a reticulated python, but it did explain my dream about slowly swallowing a cow. My jaw was still sore.

I braced myself as I changed back to human form. Once I did, immediately my splitting headaches returned along with the voices of my dad's Greek and Roman form yelling at me.

 _Fight them!_ yelled Mars. _Take this ship! Defend Rome!_

Ares shouted back: _Kill the Romans! Blood and death! Large guns!_

As usual, my father's Roman and Greek personalities were screaming back and forth in my mind with the usual soundtrack of battle noises—explosions, assault rifles, roaring jet engines—all throbbing like a subwoofer behind my eyes.

They been doing this since the fighting broke out at Camp Jupiter, and it was time like this I wished my dad was Apollo instead of Mars.

I sat up on my berth, dizzy with pain. As I did every morning, I took a deep breath and stared at the lamp on my desk—a tiny flame that burned night and day, fueled by magic olive oil from the supply room.

Normally fire scared me. Especially since my life could burn away so easily, but for some reason, watching the flame in the lamp burn help me focus. The noise in my head faded to the background, allowing me to think.

I'd gotten better at this, but ever since Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus, I been feeling almost worthless. I'd been stumbling around in a daze, barely able to function. I'd acted like a fool, and I was sure my friends thought I'd lost my marbles.

I doubt they could relate to what I'm going through. If I had to guess, it's because I'm the only one on this ship with both Greek and Roman blood which makes me a gateway to Ares and Mars' fighting. I can't tell, especially since I'm not related to Ares through my ancient Greek blood, I'm related to Poseidon through my ancient Greek blood.

I need to pull it together, I _have_ to. My friends _needed_ me—especially with Annabeth and Percy gone. I'm the next best thing to a military strategist.

Percy was one of my remaining relatives that I don't hate right now, and I came to respect Annabeth. But when they fell into Tartarus, Ares screamed that I should take the chance to kill the Romans while Mars was yelling almost the same thing about killing the Greeks.

I rose and got dressed. Fortunately, I'd managed to buy some clothes in Rome and Siena to replace the laundry that Leo had sent flying away on Buford the table. (Long story). I tugged on some Levi's and an army green T-shirt, then reach for my favorite pullover before remembering I didn't need it. The weather was too warm. More important, I didn't need the pockets anymore to protect the firewood that controls my lifespan. Hazel was keeping it safe from me.

I trusted Hazel with my life line more than I trusted myself. Knowing she was safeguarding my big weakness made me feel better—like I'd fastened my seat belt for a high-speed chase.

I slung my bow and quiver over my shoulder, which immediately morphed into a regular backpack. I loved that. I never would've known about the quiver's camouflage power if Leo hadn't figured it out for me.

 _Leo!_ Mars raged. _He must die!_

 _Throttle him!_ Ares cried. _Throttle everyone! Who are we talking about again?_

The two began shouting at each other again, over the sounds of bombs exploding in my skull.

I steadied myself against the wall. That's another thing they keep yelling at me about—the death of Leo Valdez.

After all, because of some Eidolon possessed Leo, he started the war with Camp Jupiter by firing a ballista into the Forum. But no matter how much I argued that it wasn't Leo's fault Mars demanded vengeance. Then Leo made things harder for my by constantly teasing me, which caused Ares demanding that I retaliate for every insult.

I normally kept the voices at bay, but it wasn't easy.

On our trip across the Atlantic, Leo had said something that still stuck in my mind. When we'd learned that Gaea the evil earth goddess had put a bounty on our heads, Leo wanted to know for how much.

 _I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe_ … Leo had said, _But am I worth, like, two Franks or three Franks?_

It was just another one of Leo's stupid jokes, but the comment hit a little close to home. On the _Argo II_ , I felt like I was the least valuable player. Sure I could turn into animals. So what? My biggest claim to helpful ness was either as a taxi dragon or eagle. Or turning into a Hippocampi, which was Percy's ide, and turning into a weasel to escape an underground workshop, which was Leo's idea. Yesterday's incident, when I turned into a two-hundred-kilo gorilla only to get knock senseless by a flash grenade, didn't help my self-esteem either.

Leo didn't make any gorilla jokes at my expense yet, but I know it's just a matter of time.

 _Kill him!_

 _Torture him!_ Then _kill him!_

Even when they are on common grounds like killing Leo the two sides of the war god seemed to be kicking and punching each other inside my head, using my sinuses as a wrestling mat.

I wish I could hear the voice of my divine answer Poseidon instead of Ares right about now. Maybe he can give me advice on how to save Percy.

 _Blood! Guns!_

 _Rome! War!_

 _Quiet down,_ I ordered.

Amazingly, the voices obeyed.

 _Okay, then,_ I thought.

Maybe I could finally get those annoying screaming mini-gods under control. Maybe today would be a good day.

That hope was shattered as soon as I climbed above deck.

…

"What _are_ they?" Hazel asked.

The _Argo II_ as docked at a busy wharf. On one side stretched a shipping channel about half a kilometer wide. On the other spread the city of Venice—red-tiled roof, metal church domes, steepled towers, and sun-bleached buildings in all the colors of Valentine candy hearts—red, white, ochre, pink, and orange.

Everywhere there were statues of lions—on top of pedestals, over doorways, on the porticoes of the largest buildings. There were so many, I figured the lion must be the city's mascot.

Where the streets should have been, green canals etched their way through the neighborhoods, each one jammed with motorboats. Along the docks, the sidewalks were mobbed with tourists shopping at the T-shirt kiosks, overflowing from stores, and lounging across acres of outdoor café tables, like pods of sea lions. I had thought Rome as full of tourists. This place was insane.

But Hazel and the rest of my friends weren't paying attention to any of that, though. They had gathered at the starboard rail to stare at the dozens of weird shaggy monsters milling through the crowds.

Each monster as about the size of a cow, with a bowed back like a broken-down horse, matted gray fur, skinny legs, and black cloven hooves. The creatures' heads seemed much too heavy for their necks. Their long anteater-like snouts drooped to the ground. Their overgrown gray manes completely covered their eyes.

I watched as one of the creatures lumbered across the promenade, snuffling and licking the pavement with its long tongue. The tourist parted around it, unconcerned. A few even petted it. I wondered how the mortals could be so calm. Then the monster's appearance flickered. For a moment it turned into an old, fat beagle.

Jason grunted. "The mortals think they're stray dogs."

"Or pets roaming around," Piper said. "My dad shot a film in Venice once. I remember him telling me there were dogs everywhere. Venetians love dogs."

I frowned a bit before remembering that Piper's dad was an A-list movie star Tristan McLean. It as easy for me to forget considering Piper never acted like any movie-star child. That's fine with me, of course. The last thing we need on this quest was paparazzi taking pictures of my epic fails.

"But what are they?" I asked, repeating Hazel's question. "They look like… starving, shaggy cows with sheepdog hair."

I waited for someone to enlighten me, but no one had the answers. At least, no one currently on this ship.

"Maybe they're harmless," Leo suggested. "They're ignoring the mortals."

"Harmless!" Gleeson Hedge laughed. The satyr wore his usual gym shorts, sports shirt, and coach's whistle. His expression was as gruff as ever, but he still had one pink rubber band stuck in his hair from the prankster dwarf in Bologna. I was kind of scared to mention it to him. "Valdez, how many _harmless_ monsters have we met?"

"Well, there's Tyson the Cyclopes and Mrs. O'Leary the Hellhound," Jason pointed out. "At least to other demigods they are."

That's true. Percy's brother and pet Hellhound was technically classified as monsters, but unless you were their enemies, you wouldn't think those two would kill a harmless insect much less than a demigod.

"Besides them!" Hedge responded. "We should just aim the ballistae and see what happens!"

"Uh, no," Leo said.

For once, I agree with Leo. There were too many monsters. It would be impossible to target one without causing collateral damage in the crowds of tourists. Besides, if those creatures panicked and stampeded…

"We'll have to walk through them and hope they're peaceful," I said, hating the idea already. "It's the only way we're going to track down the owner of that book."

Leo pulled the leather-bound manual from underneath his arm. He'd slapped a sticky note on the cover with the address the dwarfs in Bologna had given him.

 _"La Casa Nera,"_ he read. _"Calle Frezzeria."_

"The Black House," Nico di Angelo translated. "Calle Frezzeria is the street."

I tried not to flinch when I realized Nico was at my shoulder. The guy was so quiet and brooding, he almost seemed to dematerialize when he wasn't speaking. Hazel might have been the one who came back from the dead, but Nico was _always_ more ghostlike.

"You speak Italian?" I asked.

Nico shot me a warning look, like: _Watch the questions._ My guess is that it was a touchy subject for him, which I can understand. There are some subjects I don't like talking about myself.

He spoke calmly: "Frank is right. We have to find that address. The only way to do it is to walk the city. Venice is a maze. We'll have to risk the crowds and those… whatever they are."

Thunder rumbled in the clear summer sky. We'd passed through some storm spirits that were stirring up a storm last night, and I'm guessing they're not done with us yet.

Jason must have guessed the same, because he frowned at the horizon. "Maybe I should stay on board incase those _venti_ decided to come back."

No one argued against that since Jason seemed to be the only one who had much luck fighting them.

Coach Hedge grunted. "Well, I'm out, too. If you softhearted cupcakes are going to stroll through Venice without even whacking those furry animals on the head, forget it. I don't like _boring_ expeditions."

"It's okay, Coach," Leo grinned. "We still have to repair the foremast. Then I need your help in the engine room. I've got an idea for a new installation."

I didn't like the gleam in Leo's eye. Ever since he found that Archimedes sphere, he'd been trying out a lot of "new installations." Usually, they exploded or sent smoke billowing upstairs into my cabin. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the first time that happened, I thought my cabin caught on fire and had a panic attack.

"Well…" Piper shifted her feet. "Whoever goes should be good with animals. I, uh…. I'll admit I'm not great with cows."

I figured there was a story behind that comment, but I decided not to ask.

"I'll go," I volunteered, wanting to be useful for a change. That, and I didn't any Leo or the others to beat me to the punch by saying I should go since I can turn into animals.

Leo patted me on the shoulder and handed me the leather-bound book. "Awesome. If you pass a hardware store, could you get me some two-by-fours and a gallon of tar?"

"Leo," Hazel chided, "it's not a shopping trip."

"I'll go with Frank," Nico offered.

My eye started twitching. Although that might be because the war gods voiced rose to crescendo in my head at Nico's offer:

 _Kill the Graecus!_

 _No! I love Graecus!_

"Uh… are you good with animals?" I asked.

Nico smiled without humor. "Actually, most animals hate me. They can sense death. But there's something about this city…" His expression turned grim. "Lots of death. Restless spirits. If I go, maybe I can keep them at bay. Besides, as you noticed, I speak Italian."

Leo scratched his head. "Lots of death, huh? Personally, I'm trying to avoid lots of death, but you guys have fun!"

I wasn't sure what scared me more: shaggy cow monsters, hordes of restless ghost, or going somewhere alone with Nico di Angelo. But it might be for the best. I didn't want to repeat what happened in Charleston when I couldn't control those confederate soldiers (Jason claimed it was because they probably outrank me, but I still felt that it was one of my epic fails).

"I'll go too," Hazel slipped her arm through mine. "Three is the best number for a demigod quest, right?"

"Right," I agreed, grateful that at least Hazel was coming with us. I always could deal with being around Nico when Hazel was there. As long as Hazel is there, I can trust myself to speak around Nico without accidentally bringing up how much he scares me.

Nico stared at the canals, as if wondering what new and interesting forms of evil spirits might be lurking there. "All right, then. Let's find the owner of the book."


	18. Frank's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part II**

I might have liked Venice if it hadn't been summer time and tourist season, and if the city wasn't overrun by large hairy creatures. Between the rows of old houses and the canals, the sidewalks were already too narrow for the crowds jostling one another and stopping to take pictures. The monsters made things worse. They shuffled around with their heads down, bumping into mortals and sniffing the pavement.

One seemed to find something it like at the edge of a canal. It nibbled and licked at a crack between the stones until it dislodged some sort of greenish root. The monster sucked it up happily and shambled along.

"Well, they're plant eaters," I said. "That's good news."

Hazel slipped her hand into mine. "Unless they supplement their diet with demigods. Let's hope not."

I was pleased to be holding her hand, the crowds and the heat and the monsters suddenly didn't seem so bad. I felt _needed_ —useful.

Not that Hazel need my protection. Anybody who'd seen her charging on Arion with her sword drawn would know she could take care of herself. Still, I liked being next to her, imagining that I was her bodyguard. If any of these monsters tried to hurt her, I would gladly turn into a rhinoceros and pushed them into the canal.

That is, of course, if I could. I never tried it before. I don't even know if Ares and Mars will stop fighting long enough to let me concentrate on transforming into something new.

Nico stopped. "There."

We'd turned onto a smaller street, leaving the canal behind. Ahead of us was a small plaza lined with five story buildings. The area was strangely deserted—as if the mortals could sense it wasn't safe. In the middle of the cobblestone courtyard, a dozen shaggy cow creatures were around the mossy base of an old stone well.

"A lot of cows in one place," I said.

"Yeah, but look," Nico said. "Past that archway."

Nico's eyes must've been better than mine because I had to squint to look. At the far end of the plaza, a stone archway carved with lions led into a narrow street. Just past the arch, one of the town houses was painted black—the only black building I'd seen so far in Venice."

"La Casa Nera," I guessed,

Hazel's grip tightened on my fingers. "I don't like that plaza. It feels… cold."

I wasn't sure what she meant. I was still sweating like crazy.

But Nico nodded. He studied the town-house windows, most of which were covered with wooden shutters. "You're right Hazel. This neighborhood is filled with _lemures_."

"Lemurs?" I asked nervously. "I'm guessing you don't mean the furry little guys from Madagascar?"

"Angry ghost," Nico said. " _Lemures_ go back to Roman times. They hang around a lot of Italian cities, but I've never felt so many in one place. My mom told me…" He hesitated and frowned like the memory just occurred to him like he didn't remember it just a second ago and now that he does, he's not sure if he wanted to share it. "She used to tell me stories about the ghosts of Venice."

Again I wondered about Nico's past, but I was afraid to ask. I look at Hazel for permission to ask him.

 _Go ahead,_ she seemed to be saying silently. _Nico needs practice talking to people._

The sounds of assault rifles and atom bombs got louder in my head. The sad part was, that wasn't even the worse of it. The worse of it was the fact that Mars and Ares were trying to out sing each other with "Dixie" and "The Battle Hymm of the Republic." If you ever hear two war god personas trying to out sing each other during one of their battles, let's just say it won't win them any singing competition.

I did my best to push that aside.

"Nico, your mom was Italian?" I guessed. "She was from Venice?"

Nico nodded reluctantly. "Her father—my grandfather—was an ambassador of Italy. It was one of the things that caught Hades' attention back in the 1930s."

I got a feeling there was others, but I didn't ask as Nico continued.

"As World War Two got closer, she fled to the U.S. with Bianca and me. I don't remember much about Italy… mostly because my dad had Bianca's and my memory mostly wiped with the River of Lethe when our mother died in order to protect us, but partly because I was very young. But every once in a while some of my memories returns—probably because Lethe isn't affective on the living as it is on the dead—but I can still speak the language."

I tried to think of a response but nothing I can think of seem appropriate. Especially with the whole Nico's memory being wiped by the River of Lethe. I heard of the River of Forgetfulness from Camp Jupiter, but this is the first time I ever hear of someone alive swimming in that water.

Besides, I was hanging out with not one but _two_ demigods who'd been pulled out of time. They were both, technically, about seventy years older than I was.

"So, the _lemures_ …" I swallowed. "How do we avoid them?"

"I'm already on it," Nico said. "I'm sending out the message that they should stay away and ignore us. Hopefully that's enough. Otherwise… things could get messy."

Hazel pursed her lips. "Let's get going," she suggested.

Halfway across the piazza, everything went wrong; but it had nothing to do with ghosts.

We were skirting the well in the middle of the square, trying to give the cow monsters some distance, when Hazel stumbled on a loose piece of cobblestone. I caught he, but six or seven of the big gray beasts turned to look at us. I glimpsed a glowing green eye under one's mane, and instantly I was hit with a wave of nausea, the way I felt when I ate too much cheese or ice cream.

The creatures made deep throbbing sounds in their throats like angry foghorns.

"Nice cows," I murmured. I put myself between my friends and the monsters. "Guys, I'm thinking we should back out of here slowly."

"I'm such a klutz," Hazel whispered. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Nico said. "Look at your feet."

I glanced down and caught my breath.

Under our shoes, the paving stones were moving—spiky plant tendrils were pushing up from the cracks.

The tendrils must have been some kind of monster plants, because when Nico stepped back the root snaked toward his direction as if trying to follow. The tendrils got thicker, exuding a steamy green vapor that smelled of boil cabage.

"The roots must be some kind of monster plant," I said.

Hazel's hand drifted to her sword hilt. "Whatever it is, the cow creatures like the roots.'

The entire her was now looking our direction, making foghorn growls and stamping their hooves. I understood animal behavior well enough to get the message: _You are standing on our food. That makes you enemies._

I tried to think. There were too many monsters to fight. Something about their eyes hidden under those shaggy manes… I had gotten sick from the barest glimpse. I had a bad feeling that if those monsters made direct eye contact, I might get a lot worse than nauseous.

"Hazel, you think you and Nico can shadow travel to the house," I said.

Hazel looked at the building. "Maybe if I can get close enough—but—"

"I'll help her," Nico said, "If we combine our powers we should make it."

"Then when I say you two shadow travel there," I said. "I'll distract them."

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked.

I nodded.

The creatures tensed, ready to attack.

"Go!" I yelled.

Nico and Hazel nodded and backed up quickly to the closest shadow and melted into it.

…

If I could turn into a rhino, I sure failed at trying.

After Nico and Hazel melted into the shadows, I stepped in front of the monsters, hoping to keep their attention. I yelled at the top of my lungs imagining myself as a fearsome rhinoceros, but with Ares and Mars screaming in my head, I couldn't concentrate. I remained regular-old Frank.

The cow monsters started to surround me. They growled, emerald-green gas billowing from their nostrils. I stepped back to avoid the stuff, but the stench nearly knocked me over.

Okay, so I can't turn into a rhino. Maybe I should try something that doesn't requires me imagining myself as it. Something I just know what it looks like.

I glanced up at one of the town-house balconies and saw a stone carving—the symbol of Venice.

The next instant, I grew into a full-grown lion. I roared in challenge, then sprang from the middle of the monster herd and landed eight meters away, on top of the old stone well.

The monsters growled in reply. Three of them sprang at one, but I was ready. My lion reflexes were built for speed in combat.

I slashed at the first two monsters into dust with my claws, then sank my fangs into the third one's throat and tossed it aside.

There were nine left, which wasn't in my favor, but I roared at the monsters, causing them to edge away.

They may out number me, but I was a top-of-the-chain predator. The herd monsters knew it. They had also just watched me send three of their friends to Tartarus.

I pressed my advance and leaped off the well, still baring my fangs. The herd backed off.

If I could just maneuver around them, then turn and ran toward the house where my friends should be.

Unfortunately, that became one of my mistakes. When I first backward step toward the arch, one of the cows took that as a sign of weakness and not only charged at me but blasted be in the face with green gas.

I slashed at the monster and turned it into dust, but the damage was already done. I forced myself not to breathe, but I could still feel my fur burning off my snout and my eyes stung. I staggered back, half-blind and dizzy, dimly aware that Nico—who I thought would be in the mansion right now—yelling at me.

"Frank, back to the shadow of the arch!"

I tried to focus. I was back in human form, retching and stumbling. My face felt like it was peeling off. In front of me, the green cloud of gas floated between me and the herd. The remaining cow monsters eyed me warily, probably wondering if I had any more tricks up my sleeve.

I glanced under the archway and found Nico di Angelo holding his black Stygian iron sword, gesturing at me to hurry. Hazel wasn't with him.

I ran toward him, forgetting about the monster herd. I rushed toward Nico. "Where's Hazel?"

"Already at the mansion," Nico said. "I came back to get you."

Then he grabbed my shoulders and suddenly I felt myself melting into the shadows.

I don't know if it was the fact that this was my first shadow travel or the fact that I was hit by the monster cow's nauseous gas earlier, or both, but I lost my breakfast once we were out of the shadows.

"Frank! Are you okay?" Hazel rushed to us. I didn't even realized we were in the mansion until she help me up.

"Yeah…. I'll live," I responded.

"All three of you made it, huh?" an unknown voice said.

I turned to see a young man in jeans and a denim shirt. He had curly black hair and a friendly smile, though the way he was looking at Hazel and Nico as if they were nuisance, I don't think he was friendly at all. I doubt he's even human.

"Now that you're in my house I guess I better hear why you're here," the man said, "Especially since I think you've angered every _katobleps_ in Venice."

* * *

 **A/N:** sorry about the wait. I been busy lately.


	19. Frank's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Youngest (Her title will change further into this story).  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part III**

The man led us further into his mansion but I had to stop once in a while. My eyes were still burning and my lungs felt like I'd inhaled flaming cabbage. It got to the point Nico and Hazel had to help me walk.

"I'll give you a remedy once we reach my studies," the man promised. "You're lucky not to get the full dose or you would be dying right now."

The voices of Mars and Ares yelled in my head, urging me to kill Nico and the man in the denim and anyone else I could find, but I forced down the noise.

The house's front room was some sort of greenhouse. The walls were lined with tables of plant trays under fluorescent lights. The air smelled of fertilizer solution. Maybe Venetians did their gardening inside, since they were surrounded by water instead of soil? I wasn't sure, but I didn't spend much time worrying about it.

The back room looked like a combination garage, college dorm, and computer lab. Against the left wall glowed a bank of servers and laptops, their screen savers flashing pictures of plowed fields and tractors. Against the right wall sat a single bed, a messy desk, and an open wardrobe filled with extra denim clothes and a stack of farm implements, like pitchforks and rakes.

The back wall was a huge garage door. Parked next to it was a red-and-gold chariot with an open carriage and a single axel, like the chariots I had raced at Camp Jupiter. Sprouting from the sides of the driver's box were giant feathery wings. Wrapped around the rim of the left wheel, a spotted python snored loudly.

I hadn't known that pythons could snore. I hoped I hadn't done that myself in python form last night.

"Sit down on the bed," the man told me.

I reluctantly did so as our host gathered leaves and roots from plants. He crushed them in a mortar before rolling them into a pill size ball of green gooped and handed it to me.

"This is small dosage, so it should help you." He said.

I took it and instantly I felt the burning sensation in my chest fade and my sight returning to normal.

"That helped! Thanks!" I responded, "By the way, what did you call those cow things? What was that green gas they released?"

 _"Katoblepones,"_ our host replied. "Singular: _katobleps._ In English, it means _down-looker. Called that because—"_

"They're always looking down." Nico smacked his forehead. "Right. I remember reading about them."

I glared at him. " _Now_ you remember"

Nico hung his head almost as low as a _katobleps_. "I, uh… used to play this stupid card game when I was younger. Mythomagic."

Hazel blinked. "You never told me you use to play Mythomagic?"

"I stopped after our dad claimed me," Nico replied. "I still have a figurine or two left, but I no longer collect them. Anyways, the _katobleps_ was one of the monster cards in the game."

This time I blinked. Mythomagic was a popular game in Camp Jupiter. Everyone plays it there. Even I started playing the game after arriving at camp Jupiter. However—

"I played Mythomagic. I never saw that card."

"It was in the _Africanus Extreme_ expansion deck."

"Oh."

Our host cleared his throat. "Are you two done, ah, _geeking out_ , as they say?"

"Right, sorry," Nico muttered. "Anyway, _katoblepones_ have poison breath and poison gaze. I thought they only lived in Africa."

The man in denim shrugged. "That's their native land. They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago. You've heard of Saint Mark?"

"Saints?" I asked. "They're not part of Greek mythology."

The man in the denim chuckled. "No, but Saint Mark is the patron saint of this city. He died in Egypt, oh, a long time ago. When the Venetians became powerful… well, the relics of the saints were a big tourist attraction back in the Middle Ages. The Venetians decided to steal Saint Mark's remains and bring them to their big church of San Marco. They smuggled out his body in a barrel of pickled pig parts."

"That's… disgusting," I said.

"Yes," the man agreed with a smile. "The point is, you can't do something like that and not have consequences. The Venetians unintentionally smuggled something _else_ out of Egypt—the _katoblepones_. They came here aboard that ship and have been breeding like rats ever since. They loved the magical poison roots that grow here—swampy, foul-smelling plants that creep up from the canals. It makes their breath even more poisonous! Usually the monsters ignore mortals, but demigods… especially demigods who get in their way—"

"Got it," I responded. "Thanks for the cure."

"Don't thank me just yet," the man said, "After all there's payment."

"Payment?"

The man waved his hand over Nico and Hazel. Suddenly they disappeared and in their place were two potted plants about five feet tall, with drooping green leaves, tufts of silk, and half a dozen ripe yellow ears of corn.

"Hazel! Nico!" I responded.

"You really think you could sneak two children of Hades into my mansion. Not even the girl being a daughter of Pluto would change a thing," the host said. "I purposely let you in my mansion and heal you so I could get their guard down."

"Who are you?" I asked.

The main raised an eyebrow. I made a squeaky noise that wasn't very courageous. I'd been so focused on Hazel; I'd forgotten what Leo had told us about the guy we were looking for. "You're a god," I remembered.

"Triptolemus," the man bowed. "My friends call me Trip, so don't call me that. And if you're another child of Hades like your friends—"

"I'm a child of Mars and legacy of Poseidon," I replied quickly.

Triptolemus sniffed. "A Roman demigod with Greek ancestry, huh? Mars isn't much better than Hades, but I hold nothing against Poseidon. However, it will make it hard to decide what to turn you into."

"Wait!" I pleaded. "We're here on a friendly mission. We brought a gift." Very slowly, I reached into my backpack and brought out the leather-bound book. "This belongs to you?"

"My almanac!" Triptolemus grinned and seized the book. He thumbed through the pages and started bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Oh, this is fabulous! Where did you find it?"

"Um, Bologna. There were these—" I remembered that I wasn't supposed to mention the dwarfs—"terrible monsters. We risked our lives, but we knew this was important to you. So could you maybe, you know, turn Nico and Hazel back to normal?"

"Hmm?" Trip looked up from his book. He'd been happily reciting lines to himself—something about turnip-planting schedules. I wished that Ella the harpy was here. She would get along great with this guy.

"I'm grateful for the book, of course," Triptolemus said with a disapproving clucked. "I can definitely let _you_ go free, son of Mars. But I have a long-standing problem with Hades. After all, I owe my godly powers to Demeter!"

I racked my brain but it was hard with the voices screaming in my head. Even with the poison out of my system, Ares and Mars were still making things difficult.

"Uh, Demeter—Ceres' Greek form," I said, "The Goddess of Agriculture. She—she didn't like Hades because…" Suddenly I recalled an old story I'd heard at Camp Jupiter. "Her daughter, Porserpine—"

"Persephone," Trip corrected. "I prefer the Greek, if you mind."

 _Kill him!_ Mars screamed.

 _I love this guy!_ Ares yelled back. _Kill him anyway!_

 _He's immortal! I can't kill him!_ I argued, _Now, shut up!_

The voices calmed down again which allow me to think, but I knew this was only temporary. Those two never stay quiet too long.

"Okay," I said picking up where I left off. "Hades kidnapped Persephone."

"Exactly!" Trip said.

"So… Persephone was a friend of yours?"

Trip snorted. "I was just a mortal prince back then. Persephone wouldn't have noticed me. But when her mother, Demeter, went searching for her, scouring the whole earth, not many people would help her. Hecate lit her way at night with torches. And I… well, when Demeter came to my part of Greece, I gave her a place to stay. I comforted her, gave er a meal, and offered my assistance. I didn't know she was a goddess at the time, but my good deed paid off. Later, Demeter rewarded me by making me a god of farming!"

"Wow," I said. "Farming. Congratulations."

"I know! Pretty awesome, right? Anyway, Demeter never got along with Hades. So naturally, you know, I have to side with my patron goddess. Children of Hades—forget it! In fact, one of them—this Scythian king name Lynkos? When I tried to teach his countrymen about farming, he killed my right python!"

"Your… right python?"

Trip marched over to his winged chariot and hopped in it. He pulled a lever, and the wings began to flap. The spotted python on the left wheel opened his eyes. He started to writhe, coiling around the axle like a spring. The Chariot whirred into motion, but the right wheel stayed in place, so Triptolemus spun in circles, the chariot beating its wings and bouncing up and down like a defective merry-go-round.

"You see?" he said as he spun. "No good! Ever since I lost my right python, I haven't been able to spread the word about farming—at least not in person. Now I have to resort to giving online courses.

"Gods give online courses?" I asked.

Trip hopped off the chariot while it was still spinning. The python slowed to a stop and went back to snoring. Trip jogged over to the line of computers. He tapped the keyboards and the screens woke up, displaying a Web site in maroon and gold, with a picture of a happy farmer in a toga and a John Deere cap, standing with his bronze scythe in a field of wheat.

"Triptolemus Farming University!" He announced proudly. "In just six weeks, you can get your bachelor's degree in the exciting and vibrant career of the future—farming!"

I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my cheek. I didn't care about this crazy god or his snake-powered chariot or his online degree program. But Hazel and her brother Nico were now corn plants, leaving me alone.

"Look," I said. "We _did_ bring you the almanac. And my friends are really nice. They're not like those other children of Hades you've met. So if there's any way—"

"Oh!" Trip snapped his fingers. "I see where you're going!"

"Uh… you do?"

"Absolutely! Your friend Hazel and the other one, Nicholas—"

"Nico."

"—if I return then to normal... Then in exchange, you stay with me and take up farming! A child of Mars and legacy of Poseidon as my apprentice? It's perfect! What a spokesman you'll be. We can beat swords into plowshares and have so much fun!"'

Unfortunately, this restarted Ares and Mars fighting in my head as they screamed _Swords! Guns! Massive ka-booms!_

I tried to think up a new plan. If I declined Trip's offer, I would be turned into a corn or some kind of farming plant. But this can't be my fate. I still have a part in the Prophecy of Seven with Hazel. I just need another plan.

My eyes wandered to the broken chariot. "I have a better offer," I blurted out. "I can fix that."

Trip's smile melted. "Fix… my chariot?

I wanted to kick myself. What was I _thinking_? I wasn't Leo. I couldn't even figure out a stupid pair of Chinese handcuffs. I could barely change the batteries in a TV remote. I couldn't fix a magical chariot.

But something told me it was my only chance. That chariot was the one thing Triptolemus might really want.

"I'll go find a way to fix the chariot," I said. "In return, you fix Nico and Hazel. Let us go in peace. And—and give us whatever aid you can to defeat Gaea's forces."

Triptolemus laughed. "What makes you think I can aid you with _that_?"

"Hecate told us so," I said. "She sent us here. She—she decided Hazel is one of her favorites."

The color drained from Trip's face. "Hecate"

I hoped I wasn't overstating things. I didn't need Hecate mad at me too. But if Triptolemus and Hecate were both friends of Demeter, maybe that would convince Trip to help.

"The goddess guided us to your almanac in Bologna," I said. "She wanted us to return it to you, because… well, she must've known you had some knowledge that would help us get through the House of Hades in Epirus."

Trip nodded slowly. "Yes. I see. I know why Hecate sent you to me. Very well, son of Mars. Go find a way to fix my chariot. If you succeed, I will do all you ask. If not—"

"I know," I grumbled. "My friends die."

"Yes," Trip said cheerfully. "And you along with them."


	20. Frank's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part IV**

Trip might as well have left me poisoned, because as I left the Black House, I started feeling guilty. I just left Hazel and Nico inside at the mercy of a farmer god who has serious issues against Hades and his kids.

 _Kill farmers!_ Ares screamed in my head.

 _Return to the legion and fight Greeks!_ Mars said. _What are we doing here?_

 _Killing farmers!_ Ares screamed back.

"Shut up!" I yelled aloud. "Both of you!"

A couple of old ladies with shopping bags shuffled past. The gave me a strange look, muttered something in Italian, and kept going.

Fortunately, the katoblepones had cleared off so the mortals were in no harms ways with me being here. Unfortunately, I still have no way to save Hazel or her brother.

I could run back to the _Argo II_ and get Leo. If anyone could fix a magical chariot, he could.

But somehow I knew this wasn't the problem for Leo. It was my task. I had to prove myself. Besides, the chariot wasn't exactly broken. There was no mechanical problem. It was missing a serpent.

I could turn myself into a python. When I'd woken up that morning as a giant snake, perhaps it had been a sign from the gods. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life turning the wheel of a farmer's chariot, but if it meant saving Hazel…

No. Hazel wouldn't forgive me if I did that. There had to be another way.

Then a question ran through my head: didn't Mars have some kind of connections to snakes?

The last I check, my father's sacred animal was the wild boar, not the serpent. It been that way since Ancient Greece. Still, I was sure I'd heard something once…

Once again, I started to wish Percy and Annabeth were here. If anyone knows Mars connection to snakes, they would. Unfortunately, there was only one person I can ask, and I been trying to shut them out for weeks now.

Reluctantly, I opened my mind to the voices of the war god.

 _I need a snake,_ I told them. _How?_

 _Ha, ha!_ Ares screamed. _Yes, the serpent!_

 _Like that vile Cadmus,_ Mars said. _We punished him for killing our dragon!_

They both started yelling until I thought my brain would split in half.

"Okay! Stop!"

The voices quieted.

"Cadmus," I muttered. "Cadmus…"

The story came back to me. The demigod Cadmus had slain a dragon that happened to be a child of Ares. At least, I would guess it was Ares since the story goes all the way back to ancient Greece. Anyways, as punishment for the dragon's death, Ares turned Cadmus into a snake.

"so you can turn your enemies into snakes," I said. "That's what I need. I need to find an enemy. Then I need you to turn him into a snake."

 _You think I would do that for you?_ Ares roared. _You have not proven your worth! My daughter Clarisse is more worthy than you._

 _I have worthier children than you,_ Mars argued. _But unfortunately he's right about one thing. Only the greatest hero could ask such a boon. A hero like Romulus._

 _Too Roman!_ Ares shouted. _Diomedes!_

 _Never!_ Mars shouted back. _That coward fell to Heracles!_

 _Horatius, then,_ Ares suggested.

Mars went silent then. I sensed a grudging agreement.

"Horatius," I said. "Fine. If that's what it takes, I'll prove I'm as good as Horatius. Uh… what did he do?"

Images flooded into my mind—probably the war gods way of answering my question. I saw a lone warrior standing on a stone bridge, facing the entire army massed on the far side of the Tiber River.

I remembered the legend. Horatius, the Roman general, had single-handedly held off a horde of invaders, sacrificing himself on that bridge to keep the barbarians from crossing the Tiber. By giving his fellow Romans time to finish their defenses, he saved the Republic.

 _Venice is overrun,_ Mars said, _As Rome was about to be. Cleanse it!_

 _Destroy them all!_ Ares said. _Put them to the sword!_

"But I don't have a sword," I reminded them.

Just as I said that there was a red flash and suddenly I was holding an imperial gold gladius like the ones I used in Camp Jupiter during the War games, as well as a sheath attach to my belt. Only this one had a carving at the hilt—two bloody spears cross one another like my tattoo—the symbol of Mars.

 _Now destroy the threat!_ Ares yelled.

My dad is willing to give me a brand new Gladius, but when I ask for a snake I have to prove myself. How is that fair?

As much as I want to argue that I wasn't a swordsman, but something Percy once told me ran through my head about being both an archer and swordsman that made me decide otherwise:

 _"Well, I say you should try both,"_ Percy said, _"That way you be good in close and long range attacks—have the advantage in both."_

At the time I thought Percy was just trying to lighten my mood, but I now realize that he had a point. There is an advantage to being an archer _and_ swordsman, and that advantage as well as my family gift could just save my life.

For the first time in days, my thoughts were clear. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I didn't know how I would pull it off, the odds of dying were excellent, but I had to try. I had to get Hazel and her brother back to normal.

I sheathed my new Gladius to my belt, morphed my backpack into a quiver and bow, and raced toward the piazza where I'd fought the cow monsters.

…

My plan had three phases: dangerous, really dangerous, and insanely dangerous.

I stopped at the old stone well. There were still no _katoblepones_ in sight. I drew my new _Gladius_ and used it to pry up some cobblestones, unearthing a big tangle of spiky roots. The tendrils unfurled, exuding their stinky green fumes as they crept toward my feet.

I sliced off a long cluster of vines and laced them through one of my belt loops, trying to ignore the burning and itching in my hands. Soon I had a glowing, stinking lasso of poisonous weeds. Horray. I just hope it's enough to catch the _katoblepones'_ attention.

Sure enough, in the distance, a _katoblep's_ foghorn moaned filled the air. Others joined in from all directions. I wasn't sure how the monsters could tell what I just did, but it caught their attention.

The first few _ketoblepones_ lumbered into the piazza, bellowing in anger. Green eyes glowed under their manes. Their long snouts blew clouds of gas, like furry steam engines.

I nocked an arrow and let it fly.

The nearest katobleps collapsed, crumbling to dust. Normally I would be upset about killing a grazing monster that only attack if you disturb their food supply, but Hazel's and Nico's humanity was at stake.

I was about to knock a second arrow when the rest of the herd were almost on top of me. More were charging into the square from the opposite direction.

I turned into a lion. I roared defiantly and leaped toward the archway, straight over the heads of the second herd. The two groups of _katoblepones_ slammed into each other, but quickly recover and ran after me.

Just like my clothes, my weapons and the root melted into my animal form. But I must have still smelled like poisonous roots to them, even in animal form, because each time I raced past a _katobleps,_ it roared with outrage and joined the rest of the herd.

I turned onto a larger street and pushed through crowds of tourist. What the mortals saw, I had no idea—a cat being chased by a pack of dogs? All I know is Gelato cones went flying, a woman spilled a stack of carnival masks, and one dude toppled into a canal.

When I glanced back, I had at least two dozen monsters on my tail, but I need more. I needed _all_ the monsters of Venice, and I had to keep the one behind me enrage.

I found an open spot in the crowd and turned back into a human. I drew my _gladius_ and slashed out, destroying the first _katobleps_ and letting the other bunch up in front of me.

I tried to avoid their eyes, but I could feel their gaze burning into me. I figured that if all these monsters breathed on me at once, their combined noxious cloud would be enough to melt me into a puddle. The monsters crowded forward and slammed into one another.

I yelled, "You want my poison root? Come and get them!"

I jumped into the canal and quickly turned into a Hippocampus and started swimming as fast as I could but not too fast where the _katoblepones_ would lose me. The monster cows seemed reluctant to follow me, not that I blame them. The canal was disgusting—smelly and salty and as warm as soup, but I forged through it, diving once in a while to avoid gondolas and speed boats only resurface and neighed some insults at the monsters following me on the sidewalks.

When I reached the near gondola dock, I turned back into a human again, and used my _gladius_ to stab a few more _katoblepones_ to keep them angry and took off running.

So it went.

After a while, I fell into a kind of daze. I attracted more monsters, scattered more crows of tourists, and led my now massive following of _katoblepones_ through the winding streets of the old city. Whenever I needed a quick escape, I dove into a canal as a hippocampus or even a dolphin if the canal was too small for a half-horse-half-fish, or at times turn into an eagle and soar overhead, but I never got too far ahead of my pursuers.

Whenever I felt like the monsters might be losing interest, I stopped on a rooftop and drew my bow, picking off a few of the _katoblepones_ in the center of the herd. I shook my lasso of poison vines and insulted the monsters in a way that I would think would impressed Hazel's horse Arion. Then I continue the race.

I backtracked. I lost my way. One I turned a corner and ran into the tail end of my own monster mob. I should have been exhausted, yet somehow I found the strength to keep going—which was good. The hardest part was yet to come.

I spotted a couple of bridges, but they didn't look right. One was elevated and completely covered; no way I could get the monsters to funnel through it. Another was too crowded with tourist. Even if the monsters ignore the mortals, that noxious gas couldn't good for anyone to breathe. The bigger the monster herd got, the more mortals would get pushed aside, knocked into the water, or trampled.

Finally, I saw something that would work. Just ahead, past a big piazza, a wooden bridge spanned one of the widest canals. The bridge itself was a latticed arc of timber, like an old-fashioned roller coaster, about fifty meters long.

From above, in eagle form, I saw no monsters on the far side. Every _katobleps_ in Venice seemed to have joined the herd and was pushing through the streets behind me as tourists screamed and scattered, maybe thinking they were caught in the midst of a stray dog stampede.

The bridge was empty of foot traffic, which made it perfect.

I dropped like a stone and turned back to human form. I ran to the middle of the bridge—a natural choke point—and threw my bait of poisonous roots on the deck behind me.

As the front of the _katobleps_ herd reached the base of the bridge, I drew golden _gladius_.

"Come on!" I yelled. "You want to know what Frank Zhang is worth? Come on!"

I realized I wasn't just shouting at the monsters. I was venting weeks of fear, rage, and resentment. The voices of Mars and Ares screamed right along with me.

The monsters charged, and my vision turned red.

Later, I couldn't remember the details clearly. I sliced through monsters and shot them down any chance I got, until I was ankle-deep in yellow dust. Whenever I got overwhelmed and the clouds of gas began to choke me, I changed shape—became an elephant, a dragon, a bear, a lion, any animal that comes to my mind—and each transformation seem to clear my lungs, giving me a fresh burst of energy. My shape-shifting become so fluid, I could start an attack in human form with my sword and bow and arrows, and finish them off as a bear or lion, racking my claws across the _katobleps'_ snout.

The monsters kicked with their hooves. They breathed noxious gas and glared straight at me with their poisonous eyes. I should have died. I should have been trampled. But somehow, I stayed on my feet, unharmed, and unleashed a hurricane of violence.

I didn't feel any sort of pleasure in this, but I didn't hesitate either. I stabbed one monster beheaded another. I turned into a dragon and bit a _katobleps_ in half, then changed into an elephant and trampled three at once under my feet, and then I would turn back to human and shot down two more with a nocked of my arrows.

My vision was still tinted red, and I realize my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. I was actually glowing—surrounded by a rosy aura.

The Blessing of Mars/Ares. Percy told me about it back in Alaska, but I never imagine myself being blessed by my dad like this. As my body glowed, I felt the urge to keep fighting until I'm finish what I came out here to do. And I did just that until one was left.

I faced it with my bow and arrow drawn and nocked. I was out of breath, sweaty, and caked in monster dust, but I was unharmed.

The _katobleps_ snarled. It must not have been the smartest monster. Despite the fact that several hundred of its brethren had just died, it did not back down.

"Mars!" I yelled. "I've proven myself. Now I need a snake!"

I doubted anyone had ever shouted those words before. It was kind of a weird request. I got no answers from the skies, or from the voices in my head.

The _katobleps_ lost patience, and launched itself at me. Without any other choice I fired my arrow. But before it could hit the monster, the _katobleps_ disappeared in a flash of blood-red light. When my vision cleared, a mottled brown Burmese python was coiled where the monster once stood.

"Well done," said a familiar voice.

Standing a few feet away was my dad, Mars, wearing a red beret and olive fatigues with the insignia of the Italian Special Forces, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. His face was hard and angular, his eyes covered with dark sunglasses.

"Father," I managed.

I couldn't believe what I'd just done. Terror started to catch up to me. I felt like sobbing, but I manage to hold it down in front of Mars.

"It's natural to feel fear." The war god's voice was surprisingly warm, full of pride. "All great warriors are afraid. Only the stupid and the delusional are not. But you face your fear, my son. You did what you had to do, like Horatius. This was your bridge, and you defended it."

"I—" I wasn't sure what to say. "I… I just needed a snake."

A tiny smile tugged at Mars' mouth. "Yes. And now you have one, along with a gladius worthy for a warrior who has proven himself as a great archer and swordsman."

I realized Mars was just referring to what Percy told me back in Camp Jupiter. I did prove myself as a fierce fighter—a warrior—who has accomplish fighting with both a sword and arrow.

"Your bravery has united my forms, Greek and roman, if only for a moment," Mars continued. "Go. Save your friends, and keep your brand new _gladius_ as a reminder of how proud you made me today. But hear me, Frank. Your greatest test is yet to come. When you face the armies of Gaea at Epirus, your leadership—"

Suddenly the god doubled over, clutching his head. His form flickered. His fatigues turned into a toga, then a biker's jacket and jeans. His rifle changed into a sword, and then a rocket launcher.

"Agony!" Mars bellowed. "Go! Hurry!"

I didn't ask question. Despite my exhaustion, I turned into a giant eagle, snatched up the python in my massive claws, and launched myself into the air.

When I glanced back, a miniature mushroom cloud erupted from the middle of the bridge, rings of fire washing outward, and a pair of voices—Mars and Ares—screamed, "Noooo!"

I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I had no time to think about it. I flew over the city—now completely empty of monsters—and headed for the house of Triptolemus.

…

"You found one!" the farmer god exclaimed.

I ignored him. I stormed into La Casa Nera, with my brand new _gladius_ strapped to my belt and my bow and quiver morphed back into a backpack as I drag the python by its tail like a very strange Santa Clause bag. I dropped it off next to the bed. My friends were still corn plants.

"Return my friends back to normal," I said. "Now."

Triptolemus crossed his arms. "How do I know the snake will work?"

I gritted my teeth. Since the explosion on the bridge, the voices of the war god had gone silent in my head—maybe because they decided to spare me after proving myself to them. However, I still felt their combine anger churning inside me. I felt physically different, too. Had Triptolemus gotten shorter?

"The snake is a gift from Mars," I growled. "It will work."

As if on cue, the Burmese python slithered over to the chariot and wrapped itself around the right wheel. The other snake woke up. The two serpents checked each other out, touching noses, then turned their wheels in unison. The chariot inched forward, its wings flapping.

"You see?" I said. "Now, return my friends back to normal!"

Triptolemus tapped his chin. "Well, thank you for the snake, but I'm not sure I like your tone, demigod. Perhaps I'll turn you into—"

I quickly unsheathed my gladius and lunged at Trip. Before he could respond, I had him slammed into the wall with one arm holding him in place, and my gladius at his throat.

"Think about your next words," I warned, deadly calm. "Or else I'll show you how deadly a child of Mars and legacy of Poseidon can be when they master both archery and sword fighting."

Triptolemus gulped. "You know… I think I'll return your friends back to normal.

"Swear it on the River Styx."

"I swear it on the River Styx."

I released him but I didn't sheathed my gladius—not yet at least. Triptolemus touched his throat, as if making sure it was still there. He gave me a nervous smile and pointed at the two corn plants. With a BAM! Hazel and Nico appeared in an explosion of corn silk.

Both of them looked around in confusion and panic.

"I—I had the weirdest nightmare about popcorn," Nico said.

"Same here," Hazel said before looking at me. "Frank, what happened to you?"

"To _me_?" I stood, suddenly self-conscious. "I don't…"

I looked down and realized what she meant. Triptolemus hadn't gotten shorter. I was taller. My guy had shrunk and my chest seemed bulkier.

I had had growth spurts before. Once I'd woken up two centimeters taller than when I'd gone to sleep. But this was nuts. It was as if some kind of draqgon and lion had stayed in me when I turned back to human."

"I'm not sure… maybe it had to do with Mars' Blessing," I said.

Nico frowned. "Your dad blessed you?"

Triptolemus heaved a dramatic sigh. "Yes, unfortunately. Congratulations, blah, blah."

Hazel smiled. "Well, I think you look amazing!"

"I—I do?"

"I mean, you were handsome before! But now you look older, and taller and so distinguish—especially with that sword strap to your belt. Where did get it anyways?" Hazel asked.

"You could say it's another gift from my dad," I replied as I patted my new blade.

And for once I was proud to say it. I wouldn't admit it out loud, but I'm actually liking my new _gladius_. It was better than the sphere Mars gave me before, and for some reason it felt right attach to my belt. As if it was proof of my skills as not only an archer, but now as a swordsman, and that I had a deadly combination of skills along with my family gift that Gaea's forces will have to watch out for.

"If we're done here, will you leave?" Triptolemus asked.

"Not so fast," I responded. "You still need to tell us how to survive the House of Hades."

The god raised his eyes to the ceiling, like, _Why me, Demeter?_

"Fine," Trip said. "When you arrive at Epirus, you will be offered a chalice to drink from."

"Offered by whom?" Nico asked.

"Doesn't matter," Trip snapped. "Just know that it is filled with deadly poison that you must drink in order to make it through the temple. The poison connects you to the world of the dead, lets you pass into the lower levels."

"How do you suppose we survive the poison?" Hazel asked.

Trip's eyes twinkled. "The secret to surviving is _barley_."

I stared at him. "Barley."

"In the front of the room, take some of my special barley. Make it into little cakes. Eat those before you step into the House of Hades. The barley will absorb the worst of the poison, so it will _affect_ you, but not kill you."

"That's it?" Nico demanded. "Hecate sent us halfway across Italy so you could tell us to eat barley?"

"Good luck!" Triptolemus sprinted across the room and hopped into his chariot. "And, Frank Zhang, I forgive you! You got spunk. If you ever change your mind, my offer is open. I'd love to see you get a degree in farming!"

"Yeah," I muttered. "Thanks."

The god pulled a lever on his chariot. The snake wheels turned. The wings flapped. At the back of the room, the garage doors rolled open.

"Oh, to be mobile again!" Trip cried. "So many ignorant lands in need of my knowledge. I will teach them the glories of tilling, irrigation, fertilizing!" The chariot lifted off and zipped out of the house, Triptolemus shouting to the sky, "Away, my serpents! Away!"

"That," Hazel said, "was very strange."

"The glories of fertilizing," Nico brushed some corn silk off his shoulder. "Can we get out of here now?"

Hazel put her hand on my shoulder. "Are you really okay? You bartered for our lives. What did Triptolemus make you do?"

I tried to hold it together but it wasn't easy. Any time Hazel showed me kindness, I wanted to break down and cry. "Those cow monsters… the _katoblepones_ … I had to destroy them."

"That was brave," Nico said. "There must have been, what, six or seven left in that herd."

"No." I cleared my throat. "All of them. I killed _all_ of them in the city."

Nico and Hazel stared at me in stunned silence. I was afraid they might doubt me, or start to laugh. How many monsters had I killed on that bridge—two hundred? Three hundred?

But I saw in their eyes that they believe me. Maybe it was because since they were children of the underworld, they could sense the death and carnage I'd unleashed. Or perhaps it was just hard to argue against it when I have a gladius strapped to my belt and I had a sudden growth spurt from Mars' blessing—a blessing that the god of war doesn't give to just any demigod child of his.

Hazel kissed my cheek. She had to stand on her tiptoes to do it now. Her eyes were incredibly sad, as if she realized something had changed in me—something much more important than the physical growth spurt.

I knew it too. I would never be the same.

 _"Keep your brand new gladius as a reminder of how proud you made me today."_ I remembered Mars telling me.

I don't know if Mars meant it as a good thing or not, but now I'm worried if my sudden change is a good thing or not.

"Well," Nico said, breaking the tension. "Does anyone know what barley looks like?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I know some of you might argue against giving frank a _gladius_ , but since Hazel wasn't poisoned, she still had her _spatha_ with her when she was turned into corn, so I decided to go creative while at the same time going with what Percy said in 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune' about using archery and sword fighting in combination along with Frank's family gift.


	21. Annabeth's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part V**

I can't believe our luck. Just when I think Percy's and my luck just reach its worse, Bob the Titan came to our aid, bringing two of the three Hundred-Handed ones—Briares' brothers: Gyges and Cottus.

Now we were following them through the wasteland, tracing the route of the Phlegethon as we approached the storm front of darkness. Every so often we stopped to either drink firewater to heal the effects of the sulfuric air, or fresh clean water from Percy's thermos.

Every so often Percy would glance over and smile. Just moments ago he was as scared as I was about being down here, but now that we have allies by our side, it seems we can relax a little. It also brought us new hope.

If two of the hundred handed ones were down here, what other mystical and/or immortal beings that we thought long disappeared from the upper world could be down here. Maybe not everything down here is out to kill us.

"Come along!" Bob said. "We're almost at a rest stop."

"Rest stop?" Percy asked.

"One of two," Gyges said.

"The second one is further ahead—owned by a friend of ours," Cottus said. "An ally."

"He's against Gaea's plans as much as the rest of us," Gyges explained. "Back in his days he was a—ah—what do you mortals call it these days?"

"Rebel?" Percy asked.

"Yep!" Both brothers said.

"Well that's good," I said, trying to hide my uncertainty. I didn't want to raise up my hopes until I'm certain. After all what use to be a rebel might be one of Gaea's allies now.

At the same time, a rest stop sounded good. Especially if they're anything like the ones Thalia Luke Percy and I might stay at on the way to New York nine years ago.

I hobbled along, trying to ignore the rumble of my stomach. Since the closest thing to food we have is ambrosia, which is only for emergencies, I realized Percy and I haven't ate since we were above ground.

We picked our way across the ashen wasteland as red lightning flashed overhead in the poisonous clouds. Just another lovely day in the dungeon of creation. I couldn't see far in the hazy air, but the longer we walked, the more certain I became that the entire landscape was a downward curve.

I heard conflicting descriptions of Tartarus. It was a bottomless pit. It was a fortress surrounded by brass walls. It was nothing but an endless void.

One story described it as the inverse of the sky—a huge, hollow, upside-down dome of rock. That seemed the most accurate from what I seen down here. But if Tartarus was a dome, I guessed it was like the sky—with no real bottom but made of multiple layers, each one darker and less hospitable than the last.

And even _that_ wasn't the full horrible truth…

We passed a blister in the ground—a writhing, translucent bubble the size of a minivan. Curled inside was the half-formed body of a Drakon. Bob speared the blister without a second thought. In the burst in a geyser of steaming yellow slime, and the Drakon dissolved into nothing.

We kept walking.

We passed a few more that had several monsters, which the Hundred Handed ones destroyed.

Monsters are zits on the skin of Tartarus, I thought. I shuddered. Sometimes I wished I didn't have such a good imagination, because now I was certain we were walking across a living thing. This whole twisted landscape—the dome, pit, or whatever you want to call it—was the body of the god Tartarus—the most ancient incarnation of evil. Just as Gaea inhabited the surface of the earth, Tartarus inhabited the pit.

If that god noticed us walking across his skin, like fleas on a dog… Enough. No more thinking.

"Here," Bob said.

We stopped at the top of a ridge. Below us, in a sheltered depression like a moon crater, stood a ring of broken black marble columns surrounding a dark stone altar.

"Hermes' shrine," Bob said.

Percy frowned. "What is a shrine to Hermes doing in Tartarus?"

Cottus shrugged. "We don't know. It just fell from above either from the mortal world or Olympus long ago."

"Most monsters steer clear of it, and since Cottus and I are good friends with Hermes, we often take shelter there," Gyges said. "We actually venture out to check to see if we could find out more about what's going on above ground when Bob here found us."

I looked at Bob wondering if he found out about it from them, or somehow remembered something from his past. I didn't dare to ask though. I trust Bob, but I still fear that one-day Bob will find out who he really is and betray us.

"Well, we might as well pay our respects to Luke's dad," Percy responded

…

We climbed into the crater and entered the circle of columns. I collapsed on a broken slab of marble too exhausted to take another step. Percy stood over me protectively, scanning our surroundings. The inky storm front was less than a hundred feet away now, obscuring everything ahead of us. The crater's rim blocked our view of the wasteland behind. We'd be well hidden here, as long as no monsters stumble across us.

"Mortals need rest," Bob said. "Good place here. Best for… oh,, long, long way. I will guard you."

"So will us! We'll make sure no Titan or giant or the fallen ones will go after you," Cottus said.

If it was any other monsters or Titans my first thought would be: _Uh-no_. But Bob gain my trust back during the Battle of Manhattan when he tried to protect us and Chiron from even his own brother Kronos, and if Gyges and Cottus was anything like Briares, I trust them.

"When you wake food should arrive," Gyges said.

My stomach did a rollover at the mention of food. I didn't see how Bob, Gyges, and Cottus could summon food in the midst of Tartarus, but I was too tired to argue.

Percy killed me, his lips were feverishly warm. "Go ahead and sleep Annabeth."

I didn't argue as my eyelids grew heavy. I felt like I was back in Hypnos cabin at Camp Half-Blood, overcome with drowsiness. I curled up on the ground and closed my eyes.


	22. Annabeth's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part VI**

I made a resolution: Never _EVER_ sleep in Tartarus.

Demigod dream visions were always bad. Even in the safety of my bunk at camp, I'd had horrible nightmares. In Tartarus, they were thousand times more vivid.

First, I was a little girl again, with Percy as a little boy struggling to climb Half-Blood hill. Luke and Thalia were following behind us as Grover tried to use some nature magic to slow down the furies.

However, by the time we got to the top of the hill, the furies had send Grover tumbling toward the ground.

"Grover!" Percy yelled.

"Now it's your turn!" the Furies said.

Thalia had a sudden look of realization.

"Like, get Grover, Annabeth, and Percy to camp. I'll fend them off!" she said.

"What? No! You're injured! They'll kill you!" Luke said.

"Luke, I have to," Thalia said. "It's my destiny.

Luke had his own look of realization. "No! You said it yourself, Hal's vision was rusty—"

"Maybe so, but I have to make my stand one way or another."

"Thalia," I responded.

Thalia looked at me with a smile. "Annabeth, there's not that many female heroes that made the history books. I always wanted to be the few female heroes that did," she said, "I have a feeling you have the potential to be one too."

I realized that Thalia was right. I was meant to be a great female hero, and not just me. Piper and Hazel too. We were great heroes that could make the history books.

Then my dream shifted.

I was older and I was at the summit of Half-Blood Hill. Where Thalia made her last stand, a tall pine tree now rose. Overhead a storm was raging.

Thunder shook the valley. A blast of lightning split the tree down to its roots, opening a smoking crevice. In the darkness below stood Reyna, the praetor of New Rome. Her cloak was the color of fresh blood from a vein. Her gold armor glinted. She turned and face me as if to speak to me. Her face was regal and distant, and spoke directly in my mind.

 _You have done well,_ Reyna said, but in Athena's voice. _But to succeed in bringing peace, the rest of my journey must be on the wings of Rome._

The praetor's dark eyes turned as gray as storm clouds.

 _I must stand here,_ Reyna told me. _The Roman must bring me._

The hill shook. The ground rippled as the grass became folds of silk—the dress of a massive goddess. Gaea rose over Camp Half-Blood—her sleeping face as large as a mountain.

Hellhounds poured over the hills. Giants, six-armed Earthborn, and wild rogue Cyclopes charged from the beach, tearing down the dining pavilion, setting fire to the cabins and the Big House.

 _Hurry,_ said the voice of Athena. _The message must be sent._

The ground split at my feet and I fell into darkness.

…

My eyes flew open and I cried out. I was still in Tartarus, at the shrine of Hermes.

I must have woke up Percy from his sleep because he shot up and looked around in confusion.

"What happened? Where's the shaggy cows?" Percy asked.

"I-I'm fine," I lied. "Just a bad dream. And uh—Percy, what did you mean by shaggy cows?"

Percy rubbed his head as if trying to think back. He had a bit of drool on the side of his mouth, which told me he been drooling in his sleep.

"I had a weird dream vision," Percy replied. "Hazel and Nico were turned into Corn crops, and I think Frank was at a bridge fighting hundreds of shaggy cow monsters single handedly."

"Was he dying?" I asked.

Percy shook his head, "I couldn't tell. I woke up after that."

"Oh good you're awake!" Gyges said carrying a hundred plates of food. "Just in time for dinner."

I stared at the plates and found they were full of hotdogs, grapes, roast beef, even some M&M's. I look at Bob and Cottus and found them eating pizzas.

"How—"

"They come daily," Gyges explained, "They appear in a puff of smoke."

"They must be burnt offerings," Percy said. "And judging from the M&Ms I say they're sacrifices to Hermes from Cabin Eleven."

I snorted. "Connor Stoll always did burned a pack of Peanut M&Ms for his dad at dinner."

Then I felt homesick. I thought about sitting in the dining pavilion watching the sunset over Long Island Sound. That was the first place Percy and I truly kissed. My eyes smarted.

Percy put his hand on my shoulder. "Hey, this is _good_. At least we got something proper to eat now, right."

I nodded and we took a plate of roast beef from Gyges who offered it. After we're done, I stocked my backpack on as much M&M pack as I can in my backpack, which wasn't easy since Bob seemed to like the stuff.

"We should leave now," Bob said when we're done. "They'll be here in a few minutes.'

"A few minutes?" I reached for my dagger.

"Maybe more," Cottus said. "Time is hard to tell down here. Gyges, remember when we decided to camp out here once after we disappeared?"

"How can I forget?" Gyges responded.

Percy crept to the crater. He peered back the way we came. "I don't see anything, but that doesn't mean much. What are we talking about? Titans?"

Bob grunted. "Not sure of names. Six, maybe seven. I can sense them."

"Could they be tracking us?" I asked.

"They shouldn't be. The Myrmekes gunk is still on us," Percy said as he climbed back down onto the altar. "But if they're giants we should be okay right? Bob may not be a god, but since some of the older gods like Hecate were considered Titans before the Olympians rule, he could still be some help against them."

I never thought of it that way, but Percy was right. Bob may not be a god, but he's a Titan, which right now seems to be the next best thing down here.

"Where to now?" I asked.

"Into the darkness," Gyges said, "That's where the doors of death are at. We can make one more rest stop along the way, but after that, we're on our own."

"Only problem is the gathering," Cottus said.

"Gathering?" I asked.

Cottus nodded. "Lots of monsters, including our former jailer the Kampê—" he shivered when he said that. "Anyways, we'll have to hide you two better before we go there. That gunk on you won't save you if they see you."

"We could see if the lady will give them Death Mist," Bob said. "It might hide them."

"Yeah, but that would mean dealing with Nyx, and I rather avoid her," Cottus said.

"Nyx," Percy said. "The goddess of night."

"We could avoid her if we can get there by nightfall up above," Gyges said. "That's when she's released from Tartarus and Hemera comes to visit."

"I like day lady," Bob admitted.

"That would be difficult since we can't tell time down here," Cottus said. "Not to mention we're passing through her husband's domain soon, so you know she might expect us."

"We don't have much of a choice," Bob said. "We got to go."

"Okay then," Percy muttered, obviously annoyed they were just talking about us like we weren't here. "I' guess we'll see a lady about some Death Mist."

"Wait," I said.

My mind was buzzing as I thought about my dream. If I recalled Luke's dad –Hermes, was the god of travelers, guide to the spirits of the dead, god of communications.

I stared at the black altar.

"Annabeth?" Percy sounded concern.

I walked to the pile of trash and picked out a reasonably clean paper napkin.

I remembered my vision of Reyna, standing in the smoking crevice beneath the ruins of Thalia's pine tree, speaking with the voice of Athena:

 _But to succeed in bringing peace, the rest of my journey must be on the wings of Rome._

 _I must stand here. The Roman must bring me._

 _Hurry. The Message must be sent._

I wonder if Reyna was destined to be a famous female hero that will help us in this quest.

"Gyges, Cottus, offerings burned in the mortal world appear on this altar, right?" I asked.

Both frowned. "Yes."

"So what happens if I burn something on the altar here?"

"Not sure," Cottus said.

"Never happened before," Gyges said.

"You're right," I agreed.

But there was a chance, I thought, just the slimmest chance that an offering burned on this altar might appear at Camp Half-Blood.

Doubtful, but if it _did_ work.

"I know that look," Percy said. "You're planning something."

I nodded. "Can I borrow Riptide, I need a pen."

Percy raised an eyebrow. Then he took out his pen and uncapped it. As usual, it sprang into a full size sword. Then he capped the hilt and it shrank down to usable pen form. He handed it to me.

"Thank you," I plucked it from his hand. I flattened the napkin against the altar and began to write. As usual, Riptide's ink glowed Celestial Bronze.

"What are you doing?" Percy asked.

"Sending a message," I said. "I just hope Rachel gets it."

Percy frowned a bit and knit his eyebrows which he does when he's trying to figure out my plan. Then it dawned to him.

"What if a child of Hermes gets it?" Percy asked. "I mean, since we're in Hermes altar."

"Good point," I agreed. Once I was done with Rachel's message I folded it like a letter and wrote on the outside:

Connor and/or Travis,  
Whichever of the two of you get this letter, give it to Rachel. Not a prank. Don't be idiots.  
From,  
Annabeth

I took a deep breath. I was asking Rachel Dare to do something ridiculously dangerous, but it was the only way I could think of to communicate with the Romans—the only way that might avoid bloodshed. In case it didn't I told Rachel to bring Grover with her.

"Now I just need to burn it," I said. "Anybody got a match?"

Gyges took out two sticks from his coat and rubbed the two together in the altar until he created fire.

"Um, thanks," I responded.

I set the napkin in the burning altar and watch it crumbled to ash and wondering if I was crazy. Could the smoke really make it out of Tartarus?

"We should go now," Bob advised.

"Are you ready?" Percy asked.

I stared at the wall of blackness in front of us. I had a feeling that Cottus was right. That was Nyx's husband's domain. And somewhere in that was the lady who dispense a Death Mist that _might_ hide us from the monsters, and a second rest stop run by what I been told a possible ally—a plan recommended by a Titan and two of the three Hundred Handed ones.

"Right," I said. "I'm ready."


	23. Annabeth's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part VII**

After entering the storm front, we plodded on for what seemed like hours, relying on Percy's Celestial bronze blade, and on Bob, who glowed faintly in the dark like some sort of crazy janitor angel.

I could only see about five feet in front of me. In a strange way, the Dark Lands reminded me of San Francisco, where my dad lived—on those summer afternoons when the fog bank rolled in like cold, wet packing material and swallowed Pacific Heights. Except here in Tartarus, the fog was made of ink.

The rocks loomed out of nowhere. Pits appeared at our feet, and I barely avoided falling in. Monstrous roars echoed in the gloom, but I couldn't tell where they were from. All I could be certain of was that the terrain was still sloping down.

 _Down_ seemed to be only direction allowed in Tartarus. If I backtracked even a step, I felt tired and heavy, as if gravity were increasing to discourage me. Assuming that the entire pit _was_ the body of Tartarus, I had a nasty feeling we were marching straight down his throat.

I was so preoccupied with that thought, I didn't noticed the ledge until Percy pulled me back.

It was a shallow depression. Most of it was filled with a monster blister. If I fell in I might survive.

"Thanks Percy," I responded.

"No problem," Percy replied, although he didn't seem focus at me. He was more focus on the blister.

Staring through the glowing gold membrane was a large face of a fully formed titan in golden armor. His skin the same color as polished pennies. His eyes were closed, but he scowled so deeply he appeared to be on the verge of a bloodcurling war cry. Even through the blister, I could feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Hyperion," Percy growled. "I hate that guy."

I don't blame Percy for acting that way. Last year during the Battle of Manhattan, Percy fought this Titan at the Reservoir—water against fire. It had been the first time Percy learned that he could use his hurricane powers for offense as well as defense. I never forget how Percy repeatedly slammed and slashed at the Titan, not giving the him a chance to counter attack.

"I thought Grover turned this guy into a maple tree," I said.

"He did," Percy said, "It could be that the tree couldn't contain his heat or maybe park officials cut it down and Hyperion ended up back here."

That is possible. Even though the Mist is supposed to cover up any mystical stuff from mortal eyes, there are something the Mist couldn't completely block from Mortals senses. The Bermuda Triangle (which we know as the recent location of the Sea of Monsters) is proof of that.

Anyways, we haven't been to that part of the park since the Second Titan War ended, so I never knew what happened to Hyperion's tree.

I still remember how Hyperion had summoned fiery explosions, and how many satyrs and nymphs he destroyed before Percy and Grover stopped him. If Hyperion's tree been cut down, I would say good riddance.

At least, I would have said that if we weren't in Tartarus seeing Hyperion reform right now.

"Bad Titan right?" Bob asked. "Like the one that called me treacherous brother?"

I muttered incoherent words. I nearly forgot that the last time Bob encounter Kronos, the Titan Lord called Bob a treacherous brother.

Percy stepped up. "That's right Bob. He's a bad Titan."

"Bad Titan."

"Listen Bob, before we should continue—there's something you should know," Percy said.

"I know."

Percy and I frowned.

"You know?" I asked.

"I know." Bob said. "Nico found me once. He told me that I was a bad Titan before the war—which is why that evil Titan called me treacherous brother and why you kept it a secret."

"And—you're still willing to help us?" Percy asked.

Bob nodded. "You're my friend. You helped me get pardoned for my forgotten mistakes. You didn't leave me in the Underworld after I help break you free. Nico told me I could trust you, and I decided to believe him. Besides, Gyges and Cottus are better brothers. They didn't throw me into a building."

"That's right, brother," Cottus said giving Bob a hundred pat on the back. "We're brothers."

"Here, Bob." Gyges walked up carrying a huge boulder. "I think you should do the honor."

Percy and I nodded knowing what they were up to. Bob picked up the boulder and slammed it into Hyperion's head destroying him once more.

"We'd better keep going," I said.

"Right," Bob agreed. "Let's go."


	24. Annabeth's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part VIII**

After a while my feet felt like Titan mush. I marched along following Bob as Gyges and Cottus kept guard at their sides like a triangle.

I thought back to how the Hundred handed ones called Bob their brother. Sure Bob is technically the Hundred Handed One's brothers, but I didn't think they felt that way about Bob considering his past and the fact that the Titans re-prisoned them with the worse jailer a monster couldn't ask for: The Kampê.

I tried to stay alert, but it wasn't easy. My thoughts right now were as numb as my legs. From time to time, Percy took my hand or made an encouraging comment; but I could tell the landscape was getting to him as well. His eyes had a dull sheen—like his spirit was being slowly extinguish.

 _He fell into Tartarus to be with you,_ said a voice I my head. _If he dies, it will be your fault._

"Stop it," I said out loud.

Percy frowned. "What?"

"No, not you." I tried for a reassuring smile, but I couldn't quite muster one. "Talking to myself."

"Let me guess," Cottus said, "You're hearing dark thoughts? Thoughts you normally don't think."

"Y-Yeah," I replied. "How…"

"That's the affect of the Dark One's power," Gyges said. "He makes you here things you don't want to hear but some part of you know it's true."

"How do you fight it?" Percy asked.

"You don't," Cottus said.

"Seriously?"

"Yep," Gyges said. "Cottus and I passed through here dozens of times, and we found that the only way to overcome the effects of the dark one is to accept it. Like we know we left our brother Briares behind, and we know we might never see him again."

"The sooner you accept the dark thoughts the easier your journey through this gets," Cottus explained.

Percy and I looked at each other. I never thought of it that way.

"I guess it never hurts to try," Percy said. "I mean, they are practically experts when it comes to surviving down here."

"True," I agreed.

But it turned out harder than it sounds.

"How far are we from the death mist lady?" I asked.

"Not sure," Bob admitted. "I can only feel it."

"That's how it normally is," Gyges said. "Not even monsters with the best site could see through here. We got to go by feeling."

"Yep! Once the darkness gets darker, we go sideways," Cottus said.

"Sideways," I muttered, "Naturally."

"if you two are tired we can carry you," Gyges suggested. "Cottus and I have a hundred hands so carrying you two wouldn't be a problem."

I was tempted to agree, but I decided to continue on foot. It was dark here I didn't want to be a burden to them if we are attacked.

 _You're already a burden,_ the voice said. _You're the reason Percy is down here and cause of it you dragged Bob down here too_.

Just accept it, I reminded myself, Don't let it bother you and accept it.

As I thought that, I felt slightly better and not just emotionally. My legs felt slightly better too as if the burden cause by the darkness has lifted slightly. Maybe Cottus and Gyges were onto something.

Suddenly Bob stopped us. He raised his hand: _Wait._

Cottus and Gyges raised their hands like they were ready to give whatever was coming a hundred hand slap attack.

"What is it?" Percy asked quietly.

"Shh," Bob warned. "Ahead. Something moved."

I strained my ears. From somewhere in the fog came a deep thrumming noise, like the idling engine of a large construction vehicle. I could feel the vibrations through my shoes.

"There's only one of them, we can surround it," Gyges said.

"Five against one… my favorite odds," Cottus said.

Percy spiraled out his shield and raised his sword as I pull out my dagger. Cottus and Gyges stood at our sides and Bob stood at front.

The humming got louder, shaking the gravel at my feet. The noise seemed to be coming immediately in front of us.

We were about to attack when the creature came out and it wasn't very threatening. It was a tiny calico kitten.

"Rrow?" said the kitten, clearly unimpressed by us. In fact it butted its head against Bob's foot and purred loudly.

When it did the kitten suddenly became a ghostly skeleton, as if it had stepped behind an X-Ray machine. Then it was a regular kitten again.

"ah, what is that?" I asked.

Percy knit his eyebrows a bit before realization dawn to him.

"It's a spactus saber tooth cub," Percy said.

"A what?" this is the first time I heard of that.

"During the quest to Mount Othyrs to save you and Artemis, I saw Atlas tried to summon some Spacti at the Smithsonian, but the mercenaries grabbed the wrong teeth at first. Instead of getting Spacti soldiers, they got spacti saber tooth cubs," Percy explained. "I guess the mercenaries killed them and since spacti are considered monsters they ended up down here."

I find it hard to believe, but the kitten purring sound seem to be the deep rumbling sound we heard. I fought back the urge to pick it up.

"It must be a good monster to be attach to Bob," Gyges said, "What's the old mortal saying goes, Cottus? Cats normally have good sense of judge of character?"

"I think so," Cottus said. "I guess the same goes to an undead kitten."

Bob knelt down and scoop up the cat. It fit perfectly in Bob's palm, but it decided to explore. It climbed the Titan's arm, made itself home on his shoulder, and closed its eyes, purring like an earthmover as it flashed back into a spacti form for a moment.

"It's cute," Bob said, as the kitten sniff his hear. The Titan scratch the kitten's ear. "I will call him Small Bob. He's coming with us."

None of us argued, mostly because it was hard to argue against Bob about bringing a spacti cat when the two has clearly bonded.

Soon we were on our way with our new companion.

…

Small Bob wasn't too bad. Every so often he would climb down Bob to check one of us out, but always returned to Bob. Once Small Bob even let me hold it before getting impatient.

However, when it came to Percy it hissed a little after sniffing him out.

"Maybe it smells Mrs. O'Leary on me," Percy joked.

I couldn't help but giggle. Mrs. O'Leary was Percy's pet hellhound who behaves more like a lovable dog than a monstrous creature. Just as I inherited my laptop from Daedalus, Percy inherit Mrs. O'Leary from him.

I noticed some of the sheen in Percy's eyes has returned. My guess is that like me he been taking the Hundred Handed Ones advice to the heart as well. Or maybe seeing another familiar face down here who turned out to be friendly brightened Percy's mood.

"Here," Bob announced.

He stopped so suddenly, I almost ran into him.

Bob Cottus and Gyges stared off to our left, as if deep in thought.

I couldn't tell if this was what those three mention earlier, but the air seemed colder and thicker here, as if we'd stepped into a different microclimate. Again I was reminded of San Francisco, where you could walk from one neighborhood to the next and the temperature might drop ten degrees. I wonder if the Titans had built their palace on Mount Tamalpais because the Bay Area reminded them of Tartarus.

Wow, that was a dressing thought.

"Is this the place?" I asked. "Where we go _sideways_?"

"Yep," Cottus said. "I hope you two learn to accept the darkness by now, because from here things are about to get worse."

A cold shiver went down my spine. How could that voice could get worse?

Bob and the Hundred Handed ones struck off to the left and Percy and I followed. The air definitely got colder. I pressed against Percy for warmth. He put his arm around me. It felt good being close to him, but I couldn't relax.

We'd entered some sort of forest. Towering black trees soared into the gloom, perfectly round and bare of branches, like monstrous hair follicles. The ground was smooth and pale.

Suddenly my senses were on high alert, as if somebody had snapped a rubber band against the base of my neck. I rested my hand on the nearest tree trunk. It was quivering.

I took out my dagger and look around and noticed that another tree, a few yards away shuddered.

"Percy," I said.

"Yeah, I noticed," Percy responded.

Bob, Gyges, and Cottus formed ranks with us.

That's when the first monster dropped to the ground, only five feet away.

At first I thought it was one of the Furies—three of mine and Percy's old nemesis. The creatures looked almost like them: a wrinkled hag with batlike wings, brass talons, and glowing red eyes. She wore a tattered dress of black silk and her face was twisted and ravenous, like a demonic grandmother in the mood to kill.

However, a dozen more landed around us—surrounding us, and I knew these things couldn't be the furies. There were only three of them and these things didn't carry whips.

"What are you?" I demanded.

 _The_ arai _,_ hissed a voice. _The curses!_

I tried to locate the speaker, but none of the demons had moved their mouths. Their eyes looked dead; their expression were frozen, like a puppet's. the voice simply floated overhead like a movie narrator's, as if a single mind controlled all these creatures.

"What—what do you want?" I asked, trying to maintain a tone of confidence.

The voice cackled maliciously. _To curse you, of course! To destroy you a thousand times in the name of Mother Night!_

Percy's eyes widened as if he recognize them from somewhere.

"Annabeth, no matter what we must not destroy them," Percy said.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** that's right, a cliff hanger. by the way I got the idea of how Percy and Annabeth deal with the darkness from the series Naruto, when Naruto had to face his darkness in order to master Kurama's power.


	25. Hazel's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part V**

It been two days since we left Venice, and everything still smells like corn. At least it did until Gale showed up. If seasickness was bad enough, now I got to explain why my cabin stinks.

See, after we left Venice we decided to travel by sea, and of course, that triggers my seasickness. Nico called off shadow traveling lessons until we get back in the air.

However last night, Hecate's pet Gale appeared in my cabin. I woke up from a nightmare, thinking, What is that smell? I found a furry weasel propped on my chest, staring at me with its beady eyes.

Nothing like waking up screaming, kicking off my covers, and dancing around my cabin while a weasel scampers between your feet, scampers between my feet, screeching and farting. I even accidentally shadow traveled on deck (Which is the furthest I shadow traveled on my own) where Leo Nico and Frank were keeping watch.

I had to show them what was going on, along with Jason and Piper who woke up from my screaming and explain about the weasel. I could tell that Leo was trying hard not to make a joke.

Needless to say, Gale was impressed by my progress with my shadow traveling training. Too bad that wasn't what she came here for. Otherwise she would have left after that.

So the next morning, after the excitement died down, I decided to visit Coach Hedge, since he could talk to animals.

I found his cabin door ajar and heard the coach inside, talking as if he were on the phone with someone—except we had no phones on board. Maybe he was sending a magical Iris-Message? I heard that the Greeks used those a lot, and even I used it once (long story).

"Sure, hon," Hedge was saying. "Yeah, I know, baby. No, it's great news, but—" his voice broke with emotion.

I suddenly felt horrible for eavesdropping. Maybe I can back away.

And yet, of course, Gale ruin things by squeaked at my heels. Coach Hedge quiet down rather quickly.

Well, it looks like I have no other choice but to confront him now. So I knocked on his door.

Hedge poked his head out, scowling as usual, but his eyes were red.

"What?" he growled.

"Um… sorry," I said. "Are you okay?"

The coach snorted and opened his door wide. "What kinda question is that?"

There was no one else in the room, but that didn't mean he didn't Iris-message anyone.

"I—" I tried to remembered why I was there. "I wondered if you could talk to my weasel."

The coach's eyes narrowed. He lowered his voice. "Are we speaking in code Is there an intruder aboard?"

"Well, sort of."

Gale peeked out from behind me and started chattering.

The coach looked offended. He chattered back at the weasel. They had what sounded like a very intense argument.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"A lot of rude things," grumbled the satyr. "The gist of it: she's here to see how it goes."

"How _what_ goes?"

Coach Hedge stomped his hoof. "How am I supposed to know? She's a polecat! They _never_ give a straight answer. Now, if you excuse me, I've got, uh, stuff…"

He closed the door in my face. I guess I had that coming.

…

After breakfast, I stood at the port rail, trying to settle my stomach. Next to me, Gale ran up and down the railing, passing gas; but the strong wind off the Adriatic help whisk it away.

I wondered what was wrong with Coach Hedge. He must have been using an Iris-message to talk with someone, but if he'd gotten great news, why had he looked so devastated? I'd never seen him so shaken up. Unfortunately, I doubt the coach would ask for help if he needed. He wasn't exactly the warm and open type. Still, I would be lying if I say I didn't want to help him.

I stared at the white cliffs in the distance and thought about why Hecate had sent Gale the polecat.

 _She's here to see how it goes._

Something was about to happen. I would be tested.

I didn't understand how I was supposed to learn magic with no training or someone to teach me. The only clue Hecate told me was Piper and her charmspeak. She brought it up like Mist Manipulations and Charmspeaking is two sides of a coin, two different things and part of the same magic.

If so, why do I have to fight this super-powerful sorceress—the lady in the gold dress, whom Leo had described in his dream, alone.

Too be honest, I've had trouble with it. When I wasn't doing shadow traveling training, I'd spend my free time trying to figure Mist manipulation out.

I remember Percy snapping his fingers a few times when he manipulated the Mist and I tried that while concentrating what I want. Nothing happened. I couldn't even make my spathe look like a walking stick.

It didn't help that the last few nights, my dreams had gotten worse. I found myself back in the Fields of Asphodel, drifting aimlessly among the ghost. Then I was on that Schist in a middle of the wheat field as I remember thinking to myself how grateful I am about the Native Americans who made that piece of schist valuable enough to be considered part of Pluto's domain.

Then I was in Gaea's cave in Alaska, where my mother and I had died as the ceiling collapsed and the voice of the Earth Goddess wailed in anger. I was on the stairs of my mother's apartment building in New Orleans, face-to-face with my father, Pluto. His cold fingers gripped my arm. The fabric of his black suit writhed with imprisoned souls. He fixed me with his dark angry eyes and said: _The dead see what they_ believe _they will see. So do the living. That is the secret._

Then I was back in Charleston sitting across the table from Piper's mom Aphrodite.

 _Oh, my dear Hazel. You have so much potential yet you have yet to ask the one who can make sense of it all,_ Aphrodite said.

The worst nightmares seemed like glimpses of the future. I was stumbling through a dark tunnel while a woman's laughter echoed around me.

 _Control this if you can, child of Pluto,_ the woman taunted.

And always, I dreamed about the images I'd seen at Hecate's crossroads. Only the image of Percy and Annabeth were different. Instead of a shrouded figure standing over them two shadows stood at their wake. I didn't see them but I could swear the shadows showed something with a hundred hands.

Then I heard Hecate's voice: _It seems your choice has shifted to a better outcome, but it still won't happen without your magic._

After that I would wake up.

Now I stood at the rail, gale chittered impatiently. I thought back to what Aphrodite and my dad said. I know they didn't say that when I met them, but I'm sure the two were connected. Maybe I should talk to Piper about it.

I was still deciding when Frank showed up next to me.

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

He took my hand, his fingers completely covering mine. I still couldn't believe how much taller he'd gotten. He had change into so many animals, I wasn't sure why one more transformation should amaze me… but suddenly he'd grown into his weight. No one could call him pudgy or cuddly anymore. He looked like a football ball player, solid and strong, with a new center of gravity. His shoulders had broadened. He walked with more confidence. He even carried that sword his father Mars gave him on his belt with pride, like it was the best present he'd gotten from his father.

Frank's new gladius was a standard roman one, only with two crossed bloody spear print on the hilt—the symbol of Mars. It was as if Mars was showing off how proud he was of his son and what he did on the bridge in Venice.

I was still at awe at the thought of it. None of us had actually seen the battle, but no one doubted it. Frank's hole bearing had changed. Leo had stopped making jokes at his expense. Jason even agreed to teach Frank some sword fighting moves that might benefit him until we rescue Percy.

"I'm—I'm all right," I managed. "You?"

He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm, uh, _taller_. Otherwise, yeah. I'm good. I haven't really, you know, change inside…"

His voice held a little of the old doubt and awkwardness—the voice of the Frank I loved. My Frank, who always worried about being a klutz and messing up.

I felt relieved. That's the part of him I loved. At first, his new appearance had shocked me. I'd been worried that his personality changed as well.

Now I was starting to relax about that. Despite all his strength and the fact, he now is willing to have a gladius strapped to his belt, Frank was the same sweet guy. He was still vulnerable. He still trusted me with his biggest weakness—the piece of magical firewood I carried in my coat pocket, next to my heart.

When Leo found out about Trip turning Nico and me into plants, he pulled us to the quarter deck and asked about the firewood. I think Leo asked so he can gather info on finding out how to help us protect it better, but it was a big shock of reminder that with what happened we forgot to think how me being turned into a corn crop affected Frank's life line. Frank told me how his mother and grandmother didn't coat it with plastic or something non-burnable in fear that it will shorten his life the moment they do. But thank the gods, my forced transformation didn't affect it.

"I know, and I'm glad." I squeezed his hand. "It's… it's actually not _you_ I'm worried about."

Frank grunted. "How's Nico doing?"

I'd been thinking about myself actually, but I followed Frank's gaze to the top of the foremast where my brother was perched on the yardarm.

Nico claimed that he liked to keep watch because he had good eyes, but I knew the real reason. The top of the mast was one of the few places on board where Nico could be alone. The others had offered him to use of Percy's cabin, since Percy was… well, absent. But Nico adamantly refused. So instead, whenever he wasn't teaching me how to shadow travel, he spent most of his time up in the rigging, where he didn't have to talk with the rest of the crew.

I thought we made improvements when Nico told frank about his mother back in Venice, but after we were turned into corn plants, he'd seemed to have backtrack and gotten more reclusive and morose.

"I don't know," I admitted. "He's been through a lot. Getting captured in Tartarus, being held prisoner in that bronze jar, watching Percy and Annabeth fall…"

"And making an oath on the River Styx to lead us to Epirus," Frank nodded. "I get the feeling Nico doesn't play well with others."

Frank stood up straight. He was wearing a beige T-shirt with a picture of a horse and the words _PALIO DI SIENA_. He'd only bought it a couple of days ago, but now it was too small. When he stretched, his midriff was exposed.

I realized I was staring. I quickly looked away as my face flushed.

Truth was about Nico, there were times I wanted to Iris message Bianca, but whenever I formed a rainbow, I thought back to how Percy tried to Iris-Message when most of his memory was gone, and I started to doubt it would work for me like it didn't for him since I never met Bianca.

"Nico is my only brother," I said. "He's not easy to like, but… thanks for being kind to him."

Frank smiled. "Hey, you put up with my grandmother in Vancouver. Talk about _not easy to like."_

"I love your grandmother!"

Gale the polecat scampered up to us, farted, and ran away.

"Ugh." Frank waved away the smell. "Why is that thing here, anyway?"

I was almost glad I wasn't on dry land. As agitated as I felt, gold and gems would probably be popping up all around my feet.

"Hecate sent Gale to observe," I said.

"Observe what?"

I tried to take comfort in Frank's presence, his new aura of solidity and strength.

"I don't know, some kind of test," I replied, "Something to do with my Mist Manipulation training. I was actually thinking of going to talk to Piper sine Hecate mention something about charm speaking and mist manipulation being similar."

"Well, we better go find her," Frank said.

However, before we could go, the boat lurched forward.


	26. Hazel's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part VI**

Frank and I tumbled over each other. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't accidentally give myself the Heimlich maneuver with the pommel of my own sword. I ended up curled on the deck, moaning and coughing up the taste of corn kernel.

Through the fog and pain, I heard the ship's figurehead, Festus the bronze dragon, creaking in alarm and shooting fire.

Dimly, I wondered if we'd hit an iceberg. But then I remembered we were in the Adriatic in middle of summer.

The ship rocked to port with a massive commotion, like telephone poles snapping in half.

"Gahh!" Leo yelled something behind me. "It's eating the oars!"

 _What_ is? I wondered. I tried to stand, but something large and heavy were pinning my legs. I realized it was Frank, grumbling as he tried to extract himself from a pile of loose rope.

Everyone else was scrambling. Jason jumped over them, his sword drawn and raced toward the stern. Piper was already on the quarterdeck, shooting food from her cornucopia and yelling, "Hey! HEY! Eat this, ya stupid turtle!"

 _Turtle?_

Frank finally untangled himself from the ropes, got off my legs, and help me to my feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I lied, clutching my stomach. "Go!"

Frank sprinted up the steps, slinging off his backpack, which instantly transformed into a bow and quiver. By the time he reached the helm, he had already fire one arrow and nocking a second.

Leo frantically worked the ship's controls. "Oars won't retract. Get it away! Get it away!"

Up in the rigging, Nico's face was slack with shock.

"It's huge!" he yelled. "Port! Go port!"

Coach Hedge was the last one on deck. He compensates that with enthusiasm. He bound up the steps, waving his baseball bat, and without hesitation goat-galloped to the stern and leaped over the rail with a "Ha-Ha!"

I staggered toward the quarterdeck to join my friends. The boat shuddered. More oars snapped, and Leo yelled, "No, no, no! dang slimy-shelled son of a mother!"

When I heard the _turtle_ , I thought of a cute little thing the size of a jewelry box sitting on a rock in the middle of a fishpond. When I heard _huge_ , I rethought what I imagine to a Galapagos tortoise I'd seen in a zoo once, with a shell big enough to ride on.

I did _not_ envision a creature the size of an island. When I saw the massive dome of craggy black and brown squares, the word _turtle_ simply did not compute. Its shell was more like a landmass—hills of bone, shiny pearl valleys, kelp and moss forests, rivers of seawater trickling down the groves of its carapace.

On the ship's starboard side, another part of the monster rose from the water like a submarine.

Lares of Rome… was that the _head_?

Its gold eyes were the size of wading pools, with dark sideways slits for pupils. Its skin glisten like wet army camouflage—brown flecked with green and yellow. Its red, toothless mouth could've swallowed the Athena Parthenos in one bite.

I watched as it snapped off a half dozen oars.

"Stop that!" Leo wailed.

Coach Hedge clambered around the turtle's shell, whacking at it uselessly with his baseball bat and yelling, "Take that! And that!"

Frank shot arrows at the monster's eyes with no success. The turtle's filmy inner eye lid blinked with uncanny precision, deflecting each shot.

"Frank, let's combine our swords!" Jason yelled.

Frank reluctantly nodded and transformed into an eagle. He flew into the air at the same time Jason shot in the air. They both landed on the turtle's head. They drew out their golden swords and stabbed it between the eyes. However, both of their golden blades slipped sideways, as if the turtle's skin greased steel.

Piper shot cantaloupes into the water, yelling, "Fetch, ya stupid turtle!" But the turtle seemed fixated on eating the _Argo II._

"How did it get so close?" I demanded.

Leo threw his hands up in exasperation. "Must be that shell. My guess it's invisible to sonar. It's a freaking stealth turtle!"

"Can the ship fly?" Piper asked.

"With half our oars broken off?" Leo punched some buttons and spun one of his Archimedes sphere. "I'll have to try something else."

"There!" Nico yelled from above. "Can you get us to those straits?"

I looked where he was pointing. About half a mile to the east, a long strip of land ran parallel to the coastal cliffs. It was hard to be sure from a distance, but the stretch of water between us looked to be only twenty or thirty yards across—possibly wide enough for the _Argo II_ to slip through, but definitely not wide enough for the giant turtle's shell."

"Yeah. Yeah." Leo apparently understood. He turned the Archimedes sphere. "Jason, Frank, get away from that thing's head! I have an idea!"

Jason was still hacking away at the turtle's face, and Frank even turned into a bear to help out (which looked bulkier and taller than Frank's usual bear form). Both looked up when Leo say _I have an idea_. They nodded and Frank changed from bear to eagle form as he and Jason flew away as fast as possible.

"Frank, get the coach!" Jason yelled.

"No way! I got this!" Hedge yelled.

However, Frank circled around and grabbed Hedge by the shoulder and flew out of there. Hedge tried to break free from Frank's grip, but apparently even Frank's eagle form was stronger as the satyr could break free.

The turtle head-butted the hull, almost tossing all of us off the port side. I heard a cracking sound, like the keel had splintered.

"Just another minute," Leo said, his hands flying over the console.

"We might not be here in another minute," Jason said as he landed.

Frank dropped Coach Hedge on the ground and transform back into human form.

"We need a distraction," Leo said.

Piper yelled at the turtle, "Go away!"

It worked, at least for a minute. The turtle tunred from the ship and dipped its head underwater.

"That won't work for long," Piper said.

That's when I had an idea of my own. I just need one friend to help us.

"ARION!" I yelled.

I didn't know if it would work. But instantly I spotted something on the horizon—a flash of light and stream. I streaked across the surface of the Adriatic. In a heartbeat, Arion stood on the quarterdeck.

Gods of Olympus, I thought, I love this horse.

Arion snorted as if to say, _Of course you do. You're not stupid._

I climbed on his back. "Piper, if Arion and I help you, you think you can lead the turtle away from the _Argo II_?"

The turtle chose that moment to come back and rammed harder than ever.

"I guess it never hurts to try," Piper said.

She climbed onto Arion with my help.

"Let's go Arion!" I spurred Arion. He leaped over the side of the boat, hitting the water at a full gallop.

The turtle was a fast swimmer, but it couldn't match Arion's speed. Piper and I zipped around the monster's head, I sliced with my _spathe_ as Piper shouted random commands like, "Dive! Turn left! Look behind you!"

The sword did no damage but Piper's commands confused and angry that it started chasing us instead of the _Argo II_.

Leo must of used the moment to activate one of his new toys because jets of fire blasted out behind the _Argo II_ sending the ship forward at top speed.

The turtle tried to follow, but Piper, Arion, and I kept it's attention on us with Arion's speed, my blade, and Piper's words.

Each time I paid close attention to how Piper used her charmspeak. It seemed she was forcing the turtle to come after us, but at the same time guiding it. Could that be the key to Mist Manipulation? Guiding us but with force?

I thought of how Percy made Mist Manipulation look easy but I never thought of it as easy as it looks. Could it really be that simple?

Whatever the case is, I need to figure it out later. The _Argo II_ had passed into the straits, Arion broke off his harassment and we sped after the ship, and the moment later were back on deck.

The rocket fire had extinguished, though smoking bronze vents still jutted from the stern. The _Argo II_ limped forward under sail power, but our plan had paid off. We were safely harbored in the narrow waters, with a long, rocky island to starboard and the sheer white cliffs of the mainland to port. The turtle stopped at the entrance to the straits and glared at us balefully, but it made no attempt to follow. Its shell was obviously much to wide.

I dismounted and got a big hug from Frank. "Nice work out there!" he said.

My face flushed. "Thanks."

Piper slid down next to me. "Leo, since when do we have _jet_ propulsion?"

"Aw, you know…" Leo tried to look modest and failed. "Just a little something I whipped up in my spare time. It got us here at least."

"That's for sure," Jason said appreciatively. "So what now?"

"Kill it!" Coach said. "You even have to ask? We got enough distance. We got ballistae. Lock and load, demigods!"

"Coach, no offense, but none of Frank's arrows, or his and my sword, or Frank's bear form made a dent on that thing. It's skin is like Nemean Lion skin. Its head isn't any softer. I doubt Balistae will be enough against it."

"So we chuck one right down its throat," Coach said, "like you guys did with that shrimp monster thing in the Atlantic. Light it up from the inside."

Frank scratched his head. "Might work. But then you've got a five-million-kilo turtle carcass blocking the entrance to the straits. If we can't fly with the oars broken, how do we get the ship out?"

"You wait and fix the oars!" Coach said, "Or just sail the other direction, you big galoot."

Frank looked confused. "What's a galoot?"

"Guys!" Nico called down from the mast. "About sailing the other direction? I don't think that's going to work."

He pointed past the prow.

A quarter mile ahead of them, the long rocky strip of land curved in and met the cliffs. The channel ended in a narrow V.

"We're not in a straight," Jason said. "We're in a dead end."

I got a cold feeling I my fingers and toes. On the port rail, Gale the weasel sat up on her haunches, staring at me expectantly.

"This is a trap," I said.

The others look at me.

"Nah, it's fine," Leo said. "Worse that happens, we make repairs. Might take overnight, but I can get the ship flying again. If not maybe, we can scare the turtle away with burning Myrmekes gunk."

At the mouth of the inlet, the turtle roared. Either it wasn't interest in leaving, or it over heard Leo's plan with the Myrmekes gunk. I remember how powerful that scent was back in the Great Salt Lake and I know that stuff stinks worse when its burning.

"Well…" Piper shrugged. "At least the turtle can't get us. We're safe here."

That was something no demigod should ever say. The words had barely left Piper's mouth when an arrow sank into the mainmast, six inches from her face.

…

We scattered for cover, except for Jason and Piper, as Piper stood frozen in place, gaping at the arrow that had almost pierce her nose the hard way as Jason tackled her to the ground for safety.

Fortunately, no other missiles rained down.

Frank studied the angle of the bolt in the mast and pointed toward the top of the cliffs.

"Up there," he said. "Single shooter. See him?"

The sun was in my eyes, but I spotted a tiny figure standing at the top of the ledge. His bronze armor glinted.

"Who the heck is he?" Leo demanded. "Why is he firing at us?"

"Guys?" Piper's voice was thin and watery as Jason helped her up, "There's a note."

I hadn't seen it before, but the parchment scroll was tied to the arrow shaft. I wasn't sure why, but that made me angry. I stormed over and untied it.

"Uh, Hazel?" Leo said. "You sure that's safe?"

I read the note out loud. "First line: _Stand and deliver. This is a robbery. Send two of your party to the top of the cliff with all your valuables. No more than two. Leave the magic horse. No flying. No tricks. Just climb."_

"What? Forget it!" Hedge yelled.

"What are we supposed to climb?" Piper asked.

Nico pointed. "There."

A narrow set of steps was carved into the cliff, leading to the top. The turtle, the dead-end channel, the cliff… I got the feeling this was not the first time the letter writer had ambushed a ship here.

"Forget this, let's just use the catapults!" cried the coach.

I noticed there was a P.S. on the very bottom and read it: _"P.S. Don't even think about using your catapults."_

"This guy is good," the coach grumbled.

"Is the note signed?" Nico asked.

I shook my head. I'd heard a story back at Camp Jupiter, something about a robber who worked with a giant turtle; but as usual, as soon as I needed the information, it sat annoying in the back of my memory just out of reach.

The weasel Gale watched me, as if saying: _You got what you needed, right? Now you need to use it._

I realized this was the test. The turtle was just a way to find out what I need to Manipulate the Mist by watching Piper use her charmspeak.

Leo studied the cliff top and muttered under his breath. "That's not a good trajectory. Even if I could arm the catapult before that guy pin cushioned us with arrows, I don't think I could make the shot. That's hundreds of feet, almost straight up."

"Yeah," Frank grumbled. "My bow is useless too. He's got a huge advantage, being above us like that. I couldn't reach him."

"And, um…" Piper nudged the arrow that was stuck in the mast. "I have a feeling he's a good shot. I don't think he _meant_ to hit me. But if he did…"

She didn't need to elaborate. Whoever that robber was, he could hit the target from hundreds of feet away. He could shoot us all before we could react.

"I'll go," I said.

I hated the idea, but I was sure Hecate had set this up as some sort of twisted challenge. I know this was my test.

Gale scampered along the railing and jumped on my shoulder, ready to hitch a ride.

Everyone stared at me.

Frank gripped his bow. "Hazel—"

"No, listen," I said. "This robber wants valuables. I can go up there and summon gold, jewels—whatever he wants."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "If we pay him off, you think he'll actually let us go?"

"We don't have much choice," Nico said. "Between that guy and the turtle…"

Jason raised his hand. The others fell silent.

"I'll go too," he said. "The letter says two people go. I'll take Hazel up there and watch her back. Besides, I don't like the look of those steps. If Hazel falls… well, I can use the winds to keep us both from coming down the hard way."

Arion whinnied in protest, as if to say, _You're going without me? You're kidding, right?_

"I have to, Arion," Hazel said. "Jason… yes. I think you're right. It's the best plan."

Jason nodded. "Especially since it'll involve two children of the big three."

Unfortunately, that loomed a cloud over us. If Percy was here, we would have the power of all three Big Three.

"Okay," I responded. "If there are no other objections, we have a robber to meet."


	27. Hazel's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part VII**

I liked the great outdoors—but climbing a two-hundred-foot cliff on a stairway without rails, with a bad-tempered farting weasel on my shoulder? Not so much. Especially when I could have ridden Arion to the top in a matter of seconds.

Jason walked behind me so he could catch me if I fell. I appreciate that, but it didn't make the sheer drop any less scary.

I glanced to my right, which ended up being my mistake. My foot almost slipped, sending a spray of gravel over the edge. Gale squeaked in alarm.

"You all right?" Jason asked.

"Yes." My heart jackhammered at my ribs. "Fine."

I had no room to turn and look at him. I just had to trust he wouldn't let me plummet to my death. Since he could fly, Jason was the best back up. At least, climbing this cliff he is. I didn't want to risk shadow traveling up there incase our opponent attacked our friends if we do.

Still, I wish I could read Jason Grace.

Ever since I'd arrived at Camp Jupiter, I'd heard stories about him. The campers spoke with reverence about the son of Jupiter who'd risen from the lowly ranks of the Fifth Cohort to become Praetor, led them to victory in the Battle of Mount Tam. Then before I could get to know the guy better, he disappeared. Even now, after all the events of the past couple of weeks, I could understand Percy better than Jason, even though both of them seemed more like legends. Unlike Percy, I had a hard time warming up to Jason, with those icy blue eyes and that careful reserve, like he was calculating every word before he said it.

I glanced up. I couldn't see the thief from here, but I sense he was waiting. I was confident I could produce enough gems and gold to impress even the greediest robber. I wondered if the treasures I summoned would bring this guy bad luck. My curse should be broken, but maybe if I can control who I can curse now like how I can now control my blackouts. Anyone who robs innocent demigods with a giant turtle deserved a few a few nasty curses.

Gale the weasel jumped off my shoulder and scampered ahead. I glance back and barked eagerly.

"Going as fast as I can," I muttered.

I couldn't shake the feeling that the weasel was anxious to watch me fail.

"This, uh, controlling the Mist," I said. "Have you had any luck?"

"No—at least not yet," I said, "Too be honest, I was actually going to ask Piper about something that might of helped me when the turtle attack."

Jason paused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Hecate said something about there being a connection between Mist manipulation and charm speaking that might help me," I explained.

I expected Jason to argue but he nodded. "That would explain why Medea's magical powers."

"You met Medea?" I asked.

Jason nodded. "Medea used our own negative emotions to make Leo and I fight each other, and if it wasn't for Piper, Leo and I would have been killed."

That wasn't a pleasant thought, but it seemed to confirm what I thought earlier when Piper charm speak the turtle. It seemed forced but at the same time tapping into what the turtle wanted, to chase us down. It also goes with what my father told me in my dream vision about mortals seeing what they want to see.

Somehow I found myself in awe with the guy. I can see why Frank was at awe with him also, Piper was head-over-heels, Leo was his best friends, and Percy was so willing to accept Jason as his brother. Most importantly it seems that even Nico seemed to follow his lead without question.

But I couldn't forget that Jason had been Hera's first move in the war against the giants. The Queen of Olympus had dropped Jason into Camp Half-Blood, which had started this entire chain of events to stop Gaea. Why Jason first? Something told me he was the linchpin. Jason would be the final play, too.

 _To storm or fire the world must fall_. That's what the prophecy said. As much as I feared fire, I feared storms more. Jason could cause some pretty huge storms.

I glanced up and saw the rim of the cliff only a few yards above me.

I reached the top breathless and sweaty. A long slopping valley marched inland, dotted with scraggly olive trees and limestone boulders. There were no signs of civilization.

My legs trembled from the climb. Maybe shadow traveling up here wouldn't have been a bad idea after all. After this morning accidental shadow travel I felt that I could finally get a grip of the power.

Unlike me, Gale seemed anxious to explore. The weasel barked and farted and scampered into the nearest bushes. Far below, the _Argo II_ looked like a toy boat in the channel. I didn't understand how anyone could shoot an arrow accurately from this high up, accounting for the wind and the glare of the sun off the water. At the mouth of the inlet, the massive shape of the turtle's shell glinted like a burnished coin.

Jason joined me at the top, looking no worse for the climb.

He started to say, "Where—"

"Here!" said a voice.

I flinched. Only ten feet away, a man had appeared, a bow and quiver over his shoulder and two old-fashioned flintlock dueling pistols in his hands. He wore high leather boots, leather breeches, and a pirate style shirt. His curly black hair looked like a little kid's do and his sparkly green eyes were friendly enough, but the red bandana covered the lower half of his face.

"Welcome!" the bandit cried, pointing his guns at us. "Your money or life!"

…

I was certain that he hadn't been there a second ago. He'd simply materialized, as if he'd stepped out from behind an invisible curtain.

"Who are you?" I asked.

The bandit laughed. "Sciron, of course!"

"Chiron?" Jason asked. "Like the centaur?"

The bandit rolled his eyes. " _Sky_ -ron, my friend. Son of Poseidon! Thief extraordinaire! All-around awesome guys!"

Seriously? This guy is Percy's brother like Chrysaor? I'm really starting to see why Percy once told Frank you can't control who you're blood related too. Then again, I'm not exactly the one to talk since Adolf Hitler is my half-brother.

"But that's not important. I'm not seeing any valuables!" he cried, as if this were excellent news. "I guess that means you want to die?"

"Wait," I said. "We've got valuables. But if we give them up, how can we be sure you'll let us go?"

"Oh, they _always_ ask that," Sciron said. "I promise you, on the River Styx, that as soon as you surrender what you want, I will _not_ shoot you. I will send you right back down the cliff."

I gave Jason a wary look. River Styx or no, the way Sciron phrased his promise didn't reassure me.

"What if we fought you?" Jason asked. "You can't attack us and hold our ship hostage at the same—"

 _BANG! BANG!_

It happened so fast, my brain need a moment to catch up.

Smoke curled from the side of Jason's head. Just above his left ear, a groove cut through his hair like a racing stripe. One of Sciron's flintlocks was still pointed at his face. The other flintlock was pointed down, over the side of the cliff as if Sciron's second shot had been fired at the _Argo II_.

I choked from delayed shock. "What did you do?"

"Oh, don't worry!" Sciron laughed. "If you could see that far—which you can't—you'd see a hole in the deck between the shoes of the big young, the one with the bow."

My heart nearly skips a beat. "Frank!"

Sciron shrugged. "If you say so. That was just a demonstration. I'm afraid it _could_ have been much more serious."

He spun his flintlocks. The hammers reset, and I had a feeling the guns had just magically reloaded.

Sciron waggled his eyebrows at Jason. "So! To answer your question—yes, I _can_ attack you and hold your ship hostage at the same time. Celestial bronze ammunition. Quite deadly to demigods. You two would die first— _bang, bang_. Then I could take my time picking off your friends on that ship. Target practice is so much more fun with live targets running around screaming!"

Jason touched the new furrow that the bullet had plowed through his hair. For once, he didn't look very confident.

My ankles wobbled. Frank was the best shot I knew with a bow, but this bandit Sciron was inhumanly good.

But there must be away to defeat him. I just need to think. At least I know his heritage, and thanks to being friends with Percy, I know all of his sea related abilities.

"You're a son of Poseidon?" I managed. "I would've thought Apollo, the way you shoot"

The smile lines deepened around is eyes. "Why, thank you! It's just from practice, though. The giant turtle—that's due to my parentage. You can't go around taming giant turtles without being a son of Poseidon! I _could_ overwhelm your sip with a tidal wave."

"But it could drain you of your strength," I said, "So instead you resort to using your pet turtle and your shooting skills."

"That's right," Sciron replied.

"But… what's the bandana for?" I asked.

"So no one recognizes me!" Sciron said.

"But you introduced yourself," Jason said. "You're Sciron

The bandit's eyes widened. "How did you—Oh. Yes, I suppose I did." He lowered one flintlock and scratched the side of his head with the other.

At least he's not as smart as Percy. That should make this easier.

"Terribly sloppy of me. Sorry. I'm afraid I'm a little rusty," Sciron said. "Back from the dead, and all that. Let me try again."

He levels his pistols. "Stand and deliver! I am an anonymous bandit, and you _do not_ need to know my name!"

 _An anonymous bandit._ Something clicked in my memory. "Theseus. I killed you once."

Sciron's shoulders slumped. "Now, _why_ did you have to mention him? We were getting along so well!"

Jason frowned. "Hazel, you know this guy's story?"

I nodded. "Theseus met him on the road to Athens. Sciron would kill his victims by…"

"Theseus as _such_ a cheater!" Sciron complained. "I don't want to talk about him. I'm back from the dead now. Gaea promised me I could stay on the coast line and rob all the demigods I wanted, and that's what I'm going to do! Now… where were we? Ah, that's right! Money or your life. Where are your valuables? No valuables? Then I have to to—"

Sciron didn't have time to finish as the ground beneath me immediately yielded a bumper crop—precious metals popping to the surface as though the dirt was anxious to expel them.

I didn't even try to summon them. As I had hoped, me letting my anxiety get the best of me as trigger my powers. Sometimes not keeping a cool head comes in handy—at least, it is for me.

Soon enough we were surrounded by a knee-high mound of treasure—Roman denarii, silver drachmas, ancient gold jewelry, glittering diamond and topaz and rubies—enough to fill several lawn bags.

"As you can see, we do have valuables," I explained.

Sciron laughed with delight. "How in the _world_ did you do that?"

I didn't answer. I thought about all the coins that had appeared at the crossroads with Hecate. Here were even more—centuries' worth of hidden wealth from every empire that had ever claimed this land—Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and so many others. Those empires were gone, leaving only a barren coastline for Sciron the bandit.

That thought made me feel small and powerless.

"Just take the treasure," I said. "Let us go."

Sciron chuckled. "Oh, but I did say _all_ your valuables. I understand you're holding something special on that ship… a certain ivory-and-gold statue about, say, forty feet tall?"

The sweet started to dry on my neck, sending a shiver down my back.

Jason stepped forward. Despite the gun pointed at his face, his eyes were as hard as sapphires. "The statue isn't negotiable."

"You're right, it's not!" Sciron agreed. "I must have it."

"Gaea told you about it," I guessed. "She ordered you to take it."

Sciron shrugged. "Maybe. But she told me I could keep it for myself. Hard to pass up that offer! I don't intend to die again, my friends. I intend to live a long life as a very wealthy man!"

Okay, so bribing him won't work. So we'll need a new plan.

I remember Percy mentioning something about fatal flaws—something Mars confirmed to Frank about. And since Sciron is a bandit, I have a good feeling what his might be.

"The statue won't do you any good," I responded. "Not if Gaea destroys the world."

The muzzles of Sciron pistol wavered. "Pardon?"

I tried very hard to hide my smirked. Sciron isn't any different from any other greedy person I met in the past. And being a bandit, I bet unlike Percy, Sciron's fatal flaw is Greed or Pride.

"Gaea is using you," I said. "If you take that statue, we won't be able to defeat her. She's planning on wiping all mortals and demigods off the face of the earth, letting her giants and monsters take over. So where will you spend your gold, Sciron? Assuming Gaea even lets you live."

I let that sink in for a bit, waiting to see what Sciron might do. If the stories of him are true, then he might pull a trick of his own. If he does if I succeed in what Gale wants me to do, just maybe we can succeed.

Jason looked at me like: _What are you doing Hazel?_

I send him a _Just wait_ look.

Finally, Sciron smile lines returned.

"All right!" he said. "I'm not unreasonable. Keep the statue."

Jason blinked. "We can go?"

"Just one more thing," Sciron said. "I always demand a show of respect. Before I let my victims leave, I insist that they washed my feet."

He showed us his disgust puffy wrinkled feet. Tufts of brown hair sprouted from each misshapen toe. His jagged toenails were green and yellow, like a tortoise shell.

"So!" Sciron wriggled his disgusting toes. "Who wants the left and who wants the right? If you wash my feet, I promise on the River Styx I'll send you back down the cliff."

Jason's face turned almost as white as those feet. "You've…"

"Could we have a moment to discuss?" I asked. "We need time to decide."

Sciron's eyes narrowed for a minute. Then I could tell he smiled under his mask.

"Of course," he said. "I'm so generous I'll give you _two_ minutes."

I climbed out of my pile of treasure. I led Jason as far away as I dared—about fifty feet down the cliff, which I hoped was out of earshot.

"Sciron kicks his victims off the cliff," I whispered.

Jason scowled. "What?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you with the story of Theseus," I explained. "Before Theseus killed him. Sciron had his victims kneel down to wash his feet. And while they were woozy from the smell of his feet, he'll kick you over the edge. You'll fall straight into the mouth of his giant turtle."

Jason took a moment to digest that, so to speak. He glanced over the cliff where the turtle's massive shell glinted under the water.

"So we have to fight," Jason said.

"Sciron's too fast. He'll kill us both. However—" I looked at the bushes a few feet away, where Gale the weasel appeared from the bushed. She nodded and chattered as if knowing what I was planning and approve.

"I have a plan," I said. "A plan that requires us pulling something off that Percy would do if he was here."

Jason looked stun for a bit, but he nodded. "Okay, I'm listening."


	28. Hazel's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator in training  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part VIII**

I only seen Percy done manipulate the mist to fool someone into thinking they heard or see something that never happened twice. Once to fool Romans of the first and second Cohorts to leave their positions during a War Games. The second time to fool the Harpies to leave us alone. Each time he made them see and hear what they want to see or hear.

Now I just have to hope I can do the same.

"Finally!" Sciron cried. "That was _much_ longer than two minutes!"

"Sorry," Jason said. "It was a big decision… which foot."

I tried my best to clear my mind and imagine the scene through Sciron's eyes—what he desired what he expected.

 _That_ was the key to any magic no matter if it's charm speaking or Mist manipulation. I couldn't force someone to see the world my way. I couldn't make Sciron's reality appear _less_ believable. but if I showed him what he wanted to see… well, I was a child of Pluto. I'd spent decades with the dead listening to them yearn for past lives that were only half remembered by nostalgia. That's what Pluto meant that the dead see what they want to see. And so does the living.

When Percy manipulated the Mist on the Romans, he made them see what they want to see—the alarm for the army of the opposing team approaching. Same with the Harpies. They wanted Phineas' food, so Percy made them think we took off elsewhere with it.

Jason stepped forward, his hands open in surrender. "I'll go first, Sciron. I'll wash your left foot."

"Excellent choice!" Sciron wriggled his hairy, corpse-like toes. "I may have stepped on something with that foot. It felt a little squishy inside my boot. But I'm sure you'll clean it properly."

Jason's ears reddened. From the tension in his neck, I could tell he was tempted to drop the charade and attack—one quick slash with Imperial gold blade. But I knew if he tried, he would fail.

"Sciron," I broke in, "do you have water? Soap? How are we supposed to wash—"

"Like this!" Sciron spun his left flintlock. Suddenly it became a squirt bottle with a rag. He tossed it to Jason.

Jason squinted at the label. "You want me to wash your feet with _glass_ cleaner?"

"Of course not!" Sciron knit his eyebrows. "It says _multi-surface_ cleanser. My feet definitely qualify as _multi-surface_. Besides, it's an antibacterial. I need that. Believe me, water won't do the trick on _these_ babies."

Sciron wriggled his toes, which released a zombie café odor wafted across the cliffs.

Jason faked a gag like it was bad, but wasn't the worse thing he smelled.

 _Of course not, burning Myrmekes gunk smells worse than this,_ I thought.

"Now…" Sciron hopped to the nearest chunk of limestone that was the right size for a footstool. He faced the water and planted his foot, so he looked like some explorer who'd just claimed a new country. "I'll watch the horizon while you scrub my bunions. It'll be much more enjoyable."

"I bet," Jason said.

Jason knelt in front of the bandit, at the edge of the cliff, where he was an easy target. One kick, and he'd topple over.

I concentrated. I imagine I was Sciron, the lord of bandits. I was looking down at a pathetic blond-hair kid who was no threat at all—just another defeated demigod about to become his victim.

In my mind, I saw what would happen. I didn't snapped my finger like Percy always do, but instead I summoned the Mist, calling it from the depths of the earth the way I did with gold or silver or rubies.

Jason squirted the cleaning fluid. His eyes watered. Even if Sciron's feet wasn't the worst smelly thing he smelled, it probably still powerful up close. He wiped Sciron's big toe with his rag and turned aside to gag a little.

Sciron used the moment to slammed his foot into Jason's chest. Jason tumbled backward over the edge, his arms flailing, screaming as he fell. When he was about to hit the water, the turtle rose up and swallowed him in one bite, then sank below the surface.

Alarm bells sounded on the _Argo II_. My friends scrambled on deck, manning the catapults. I heard Piper wailing all the way from the ship.

It was so disturbing, I almost lost focus. How did Percy manage to do this kind of stuff is beyond me? I forced my mind to split into two parts—one intensely focused on my task, one playing the role Sciron needed to see.

I screamed in outrage. "What did you _do_?"

"Oh, dear…" Sciron sounded sad, but I got the impression he was hiding a grin under his bandana. "That was an accident. I assure you."

"My friends will _kill_ you now!"

"They can try," Sciron said. "But in the meantime, I think you have time to wash my other foot! Believe me, my dear. My turtle is full now. He doesn't want you too. You'll be quite safe, unless you refuse."

He leveled the flintlock pistol at my head.

I hesitated, letting him see my anguish. I couldn't agree too easily, or I wouldn't think I was eaten.

"Don't kick me," I said, half sobbing.

His eyes twinkled. This was exactly what I had expected. I was broken and helpless. Sciron the son of Poseidon, had won again.

I can't believe this guy was Percy's half-brother. Or Chyrsaor for that matter. Tyson has more in common with Percy than those two. Then I remembered that Poseidon had a changeable personality, like the sea. Maybe his children reflect that. Percy and Tyson were children of Poseidon's better nature—powerful but gentle and helpful, the kind of sea that sped ships safely to distant lands. Sciron and Chrysaor were more of Poseidon's other side—the kind of sea that batters relentlessly at the coastline until it crumbled away, or carried innocents from shore and let them down, or smash ships and kill entire crews without mercy.

I snatched up the spray bottle Jason dropped.

"Sciron," I growled. "your feet are the _least_ disgusting thing about you."

His green eyes hardened. "Just _clean_."

I knelt, trying to ignore the smell. I was right, it smelled worse up close. I shuffled to one side, forcing Sciron to adjust his stance, but I imagine the sea was still at my ack. I held that vision in my mind as I shuffled sideways again.

"Just get on with it!" Sciron said.

I suppressed a smile. I'd managed to turn Sciron one hundred and eighty degrees, but I can tell from his eyes that he still saw the water in front of him, the rolling country side at his back.

I started to clean.

I had done plenty of ugly work before. I'd cleaned the unicorn stables at Camp Jupiter. I'd filled and dug latrines for the legion. I even smell Myrmekes gunk after Leo burns it.

This is nothing, I told myself. But it was hard not to retch when I look at Sciron's toes.

When the kick came, I flew backward, but I didn't go far. I landed on my butt in the grass a few yards away.

Sciron stared at me. "But…"

Suddenly the world shifted. The illusion melted, leaving Sciron totally confused. The sea was at _his_ back. He'd only succeeded in kicking me away from the ledge.

He lowered his flintlock. "How—"

"I pulled a Percy Jackson," I told him.

"A what?"

At that moment, Jason swooped out of the sky, right over my head, and body-slammed the bandit over the cliff.

Sciron screamed as he fell, firing his flintlock wildly, but for once hitting nothing. I got to my feet and reached the cliff's edge in time to see the turtle lunged and snap Sciron out of the air. I guess the turtle really was trained to swallow _anything_ that falls off the cliff, because I didn't have time to trick the turtle into eating him.

Jason grinned. "Hazel, that was _amazing_. Seriously, Hazel, Percy and Annabeth both would be proud of you. Hey, Hazel?"

I collapsed to my knees, suddenly dizzy.

Distantly, I could hear my friends cheering from the ship below. Jason stood over me, but he wasn't moving in slow motion. His outline blurry, his voice nothing but static.

Frost crept across the rocks and grass around me. The mounds of riches I'd summoned sank back into the earth. The Mist swirled.

 _What have I done?_ I thought in a panic. _Something went wrong._

"No, Hazel," said a deep voice behind me. "You have done well."

I hardly dared to breathe. I'd only heard that voice once before, but I had to replayed it in my mind thousands of times.

I turned and found myself looking up at my father: Pluto.

He was dressed in Roman style—his dark hair close-cropped, his pale, angular face clean-shaven. His tunic and toga were of black wool, embroidered with threads of gold. The face of tormented souls shifted in the fabric. The edge of his toga was lined with the crimson of a senator or a praetor, but the stripe rippled like a river of blood. On Pluto's ring finger was a massive opal, like a chunk of polished frozen Mist.

His wedding ring, I thought. That's right. Like Jason's and Percy's dad, Pluto is married too—to Persephone if I remember correctly—or rather Persephone's Roman form.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

I hoped my tone would hurt him—jab him for all the pain he'd caused me. But a faint smile played across his mouth.

"My daughter," he said. "I am impressed. You have grown strong."

 _No, thanks to you,_ I wanted to say. I didn't want to take any pleasure in his compliment, but my eyes still prickled.

"I thought most of you major gods were incapacitated," I managed. "Your Greek and Roman personalities fighting against one another.'

"We are," Pluto agreed. "But you invoked me so strongly that you allowed me to appear… if only for a moment."

I wanted to argue that I didn't invoked him, but Pluto was right. I'd embraced my lineage as a child of Pluto. I have started mastering shadow traveling, and now I can use my father's own domain to manipulate the Mist.

"When you come to my house in Epirus," Pluto said. "you must be prepared. The dead will not welcome you. And the sorceress Pasiphaë will not be fooled as easily as Sciron." Pluto's eyes glittered like volcanic stone. I realized he must be talking about the woman I have to face. "You succeeded in your first test, but Pasiphaë intends to rebuild her domain, which will endanger _all_ demigods. Until you stop her at the House of Hades…"

His form flickered. For a moment he was bearded, in Greek roes with a golden laurel wreath in his hair. Around his feet, skeletal hands broke through the earth.

The god gritted his teeth and scowled.

His Roman form stabilized. The skeletal hands dissolved back into the earth.

"We don't have much time." He looked like a man who'd just been violently ill. "Know that the Doors of Death are at the lowest level of the Necromanteion. You must make Pasiphaë see what she wants to see. You are right. That is the secret to all magic. But it will not be easy when you are in her maze. Which is why it's important for you to master shadow traveling as well."

"Wait, what do you mean by a maze?" I asked. "How will shadow traveling help me?"

"You will understand," he promised. "And, Hazel Levesque… you will not believe me, but I am proud of your strength. Sometimes… sometimes the only way I can care for my children is to keep my distance."

"Like keeping me from Thantos' list and ignoring me since I came back?" I asked.

"That's right," Pluto said. "The Fates predicted that you would be reborn in this time line. But you didn't hear it from me."

I realized what he meant. The Fates themselves must be a loophole to the ancient laws. Even if the laws forbids certain things, only Fate itself can change it. It was as if ancient laws and Fate itself are two sides of the same thing.

"Go to your friends," Pluto said. "They will be worried. The journey to Epirus still holds many perils."

Pluto fade from where he stood holding his proud smile.

 _I am proud of your strength,_ I remembered Pluto said before. My heart pounded in my chest as I started believing him.


	29. Percy's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part V**

My eyes widened as I finally recognized the demon ladies. I finally recognized them from Hal's book, and it's not good.

"Annabeth, no matter what, we must not destroy them," I told my girlfriend.

Annabeth looked at me and must have realized what I was talking about.

"Right," Annabeth agreed. "Arai are spirits of curses of the fallen."

"Bob doesn't like curses," Bob decided. The spactus-kitten Small Bob disappeared inside his coveralls. Smart cat.

Gyges and Cottus broke giant sticks from the tree and used them to swipe at the curses.

I capped Riptide and spiraled out my shield and uncapping my thermos.

The nearest demon lunged and I summoned a water blast to blow her away without killing her.

The aria sneered. _Clever you found a way to stop us without killing us. But how long can you last._

They're right, the thermos is powerful, but unless we can create a way through, we won't last.

I couldn't help but think back of every enemy I killed and the curse they might have in store with these things, especially ones I know for sure the Achilles Curse won't save me from. I don't even know if the Achilles curse could save me from these things. Then there's Annabeth who had slayed monsters herself.

An arai came at Annabeth, but I unstrapped my shied and threw it. It hit the Arai, not killing it but it did send it did knock it out.

Bob smashed the arai but nothing happened.

"Bob, you okay?" I asked. "No curses?"

"No curses for Bob!" Bob agreed.

The _arai_ snarled and circled us. _Of course not, we can't curse the Titan nor the Hundred Handed ones for they're already cursed. Bob for you destroying his memory, and the other two for being forgotten. Why they still help you is beyond me?_

"We were cursed when we were forgotten," Gyges said.

"But by Percy saving Briares, we know we weren't," Cottus said.

"And I have forgiven Percy a long time ago," Bob said.

Annabeth eyes gleamed when I instantly knew it meant that she had an idea. She grabbed my shield.

"Bob, how far are we from the second rest stop?" Annabeth asked.

"Not far," Bob replied.

"Percy, keep blasting the arai, knocking them down. Cottus Gyges and Bob, destroy as many of those things as we can," Annabeth responded, "We're going to the second rest stop."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the short chapter


	30. Percy's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part VI**

Annabeth's plan went well until my fatal flaw kicked in. Annabeth carefully used my shield to block any arai attack and I blasted them away so that Bob Gyges and Cottus could finish them off.

Oddly enough, the arai were making thing too easy at first, as if they wanted us to destroy them. If the stories about them are true they probably do. Even if these things don't touch you if I remember correctly, if you destroy these things, the curse of the enemy you defeated they carry will still pass onto you. So no matter what you're as good as dead if they curse you. Which is why I was worried at first when Bob slayed one, I was worried.

I just hope we can get to the next rest stop before we made a mistake that will cost us.

Leathery wings beat the air above us. Angry hissing and scuttling of clawed feet told me the demon were still at our backs and with Bob Cottus and Gyges either at our side or front that's not good.

Then I noticed a tree up ahead. Huh, I wonder what would happen if a tree destroys them.

I summoned a water blast and formed it into a hand. I grabbed the tree with the thermos and swing my arm over my shoulder, as if I was tossing something over my shoulder. Sure enough the water hand bend up and toss the tree. I heard the tree crunched and destroyed some of the Arai coming from behind.

I expected a curse but nothing happened.

"Well that's good to know," I responded. "Guys, use the trees! If the trees destroyed them, we can't get curse."

"Trees good!" Bob said.

Sure enough the Titan and two hundred-handed-ones, started picking up trees and slinging them. It slowed them down a bit but Annabeth and I maintain our pace.

At least it was until the darkness in front of us became thicker. I realized what it meant just in time. Annabeth and I stopped in our tracks, realizing what it meant: a Cliff.

"That's a big cliff," Annabeth said. "Where to now?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I don't even know what the second rest stop looks like, do you?"

"No," Annabeth replied.

Suddenly those winged demons descended in front of me, hovering over the void on her bat wing.

 _Did you have a nice walk?_ Asked the collective voice, echoing all around us.

 _How did they get away from Bob Gyges and Cottus?_ I thought

The _arai_ came down at Annabeth. I summoned a water blast but the arai dodge it and came at Annabeth and knocked her down.

With no other choice, Annabeth took out her dagger and stabbed the demon. It disintegrated into monster dust.

However, when she did Annabeth vanished into the darkness.

"Annabeth?" I called.

"Percy, where are you?" Annabeth called.

"What was that?" I demanded.

I heard a group of demons approaching as their voices said: _We did nothing,_ _Your beloved has unleashed a special curse—a punish an innocent soul by leaving her in solitude and failed to keep an oath to get the Olympians to free her. Now her most hateful wish has come to pass: Annabeth feels her despair. She, too, will perish alone abandoned._

"Percy, what are they talking about?" Annabeth yelled.

"How am I supposed to know. I didn't abandon anyone, and the only oath I made to get the Olympians to free someone was—" I stopped myself, realizing what the _Arai_ were talking about. "Calypso."

I remembered back to an oath I made to Calypso two years ago that I would get the Olympians to free her. I even sacrifice my chance of immortality to not only stay with Annabeth and my friends but to get the Olympians to allow minor gods to have cabins, to recognized all their kids, _and_ to pardoned all the Titans that they wrongfully imprisoned in the last Titan War and free them including Calypso.

"Dang it Zeus! You were willing to pardon Bob, but you couldn't keep your oath in freeing Calypso!" I yelled in frustration.

 _Since Zeus can't suffer for the break of his oath, you will suffer instead for not making sure they kept to their oaths._

Suddenly Annabeth screamed, which wasn't good.

Forget the curse for now. I'll deal with Zeus' broken oath when we get out of Tartarus, but for now I need to save Annabeth.

I rushed off to help my girlfriend.


	31. Percy's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part VII**

Okay, so charging blindly into a flock of Arai with no battle strategy might have not been my best plan yet. But the way I see it, if I can find these spirits of the curses, I can find Annabeth. I just pray that some lucky fallen monster haven't passed on its own curse onto Annabeth. Once I find her, I can call on Bob or Cottus or Gyges to help us.

Speaking of which—where are those three? Could the _arai_ done something to them without cursing them? Gods, I hope not.

I found Annabeth fighting off an arai while trying not to destroy it. I aimed my thermos and fired a water blast that threw it off Annabeth.

"Percy," Annabeth turned to me. "What happened to you? Where did you go?"

"Annabeth listen, the Olympians didn't follow through with their promise of pardoning those they wrongfully imprisoned in the first Titan War and we're suffering from Calypso's curse cause of it," I replied. "We need to find Bob and hope he can reverse his granddaughter's curse."

Annabeth's eyes widened but she seem to understand.

Just then I felt someone pounced on my thigh and tried to bite through. Naturally my Achilles Curse protected me, but then I made a big mistake. I turned around and fired a water blast at the _arai_ that was behind me into the ground. Due to the force that hit it to the ground the _arai_ disintegrated.

Immediately I fell to my knees. My mouth burned worse than when I had swallowed the firewater of the Phlegethon. I doubled over, shuddering and retching, as a dozen fiery snakes seemed to work their way down my esophagus.

 _You finally have chosen,_ said the voice of the _arai,_ _the curse of Phineas… an excellent painful death._

I tried to speak. My tongue felt like it was being microwaved. I remembered my half-brother Phineas—the old blind king who had chased harpies through Portland with Weed Wacker. I challenge him to a contest, and the loser had drunk a deadly vial of gorgon's blood.

I imagine Gaea was laughing right now. _I told you I would find a way to bypass your Achilles curse._

And it seems she did. Now I was in Tartarus, dying from gorgon's blood, while I watch my girlfriend try to approach me but end up somewhere else do to Calypso's curse.

I started steaming as smoke curled off my forearms. To make matters worse, another arai showed up ready to finish me off

I won't die like this. I can't.

Just then a tree went flying through the air and smashed into the demon.

Cottus and Gyges appeared out of the darkness, saying at the same time: "We won't let you hurt our brother."


	32. Percy's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part VIII**

The last time I was this happy to see a hundred handed one was when Briares broke out of the Labyrinth to help Daedalus and Mrs. O'Leary to save the camp during the Battle of the Labyrinth.

They had arai following them, but they whack through them like the monsters were made of mud.

I manage to look over and saw Bob fending off Annabeth with Small Bob on his shoulders.

In a matter of second, the arai were gone. Most had been vaporize. The smart ones had flown off into the darkness, shrieking in terror.

I couldn't hold myself up anymore as the combination of the Achilles Curse _and_ Gorgon's poison was draining me quickly.

Annabeth and Bob rushed to us. I'm guessing Bob cured Annabeth of Calypso's curse. Annabeth cradled my shoulder and wept at my scalp. She took m face in her hands and kissed me.

I tried to speak but I couldn't find the strength

Bob Gyges and Cottus loomed over us.

"Gorgon's blood,

"Bob, can you heal him?" Annabeth asked

Bob crouched next to her and studied me. I was barely conscious at this point, but I could tell from his expression it wasn't good.

"I can't, but if Percy can old off we can get him to Damasen in order to save him from the poison."

My eyes widened a bit. I wasn't sure I heard the name right, but did Bob say Damasen—the giant bane of Ares.

If I remember correctly Damasen was the most opposite of Ares as you can get. During the first Giant war he stayed peaceful while the rest of his brothers fought. He even slayed a Drakon to protect a village of mortals and was punished by his mother for it.

He could still be good, or he could be like Phorcys and decided to help Gaea in getting revenge.

"But—are we even close to this guy?" Annabeth asked.

"Not far," Gyges replied. "It's a miracle Percy isn't dead right now."

I manage to croak out, "Do it!"

Everyone turned to me.

"Percy," Annabeth said.

"Get me there," I responded.

In the distance, we heard a giant yell. "I SMELL HIM! BEWARE, SON OF POSEIDON! I COME FOR YOU!"

"Polybotes," Cottus said. "He hates Poseidon and his children. He is very close now."

Bob picked me up bridal style. "We better go find our brother."


	33. Jason's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part I**

I fell asleep on the job. Which was bad, since I was a thousand feet in the air.

I should have known better. It was the morning after our encounter Sciron the bandit, and I was on duty, fighting some wild _venti_ who were threatening the ship. When I slashed through the last one, I forgot to hold my breath.

A stupid mistake. When a wind spirit disintegrates, it creates a vacuum. Unless you're holding your breath, the air gets sucked right out of your lungs. The pressure in your inner ear drops so fast, you blacked out.

Because I didn't hold my breath, that's what happened to me.

Even wore, when I did, I instantly plunged into a dream. In the back of my subconscious, I thought: _Really? Now?_

I needed to wake up, or I would die; but I wasn't able to hold on to that thought. In the dream, I found myself on the roof of a tall building, the nighttime skyline of Manhattan spread across me. A cold wind whipped through my clothes.

A few blocks away, clouds gathered above the Empire State Building—the entrance on Mount Olympus itself. Lightning flashed. The air was metallic with the smell of oncoming rain. The top of the skyscraper was lit up as usual, but the lights seemed to be malfunctioning. The flickered from purple to orange as if the colors were fighting for dominance.

On the roof of my building stood my old comrades from Camp Jupiter: an array of demigods in combat armor, their Imperial gold weapons and shields glinting in the dark. I saw Dakota from the Fifth Cohort and Leila from the Fourth Cohort, Nathan from Third Cohort and Marcus from Second Cohort. Octavian stood to one side, thin and pale, his eyes red-rimmed from sleepless or anger, a string of sacrificial stuffed animals around his waist. His augur's white robe was draped over his purple T-shirt and cargo pants.

In the center of the line stood Reyna, her metal dogs Aurum and Argentum at her side. Upon seeing her, I felt a pang of guilt. I'd let her believe we had a future together. I had never been in love with her, and I hadn't led her on, exactly… but I also hadn't shut her down.

Then I'd disappeared, leaving her to run the camp on her own. (Okay, that hadn't exactly been my idea, but still…) Then I had returned to Camp Jupiter with my new girlfriend Piper and a whole bunch of Greek friend in a warship. We'd fired on the Forum and ran away, leaving Reyna with a war on her hands.

In my dream she looked tired. Others might not noticed, but I'd worked with her long enough to recognize the weariness in her eyes, the tightness in her shoulders under the straps of her armor. Her dark hair was wet, like she'd taken a shower.

Now that I got a good look, all of my comrades from Camp Jupiter looked like they been pranked and humiliated. I guess Leo's new dwarf friends pulled through.

Anyways, they stare at the roof-access door as if they were waiting for someone.

When the door opened, two people emerged. One was a faun—no, I thought—a _satyr_. I learned the hard way from Coach Hedge the difference between fauns and satyrs. Roman fauns tended to hang around and beg and eat. Satyrs were more helpful, more engage with demigod affairs. I didn't think I'd seen this particular satyr before, but I was sure the guy was from the Greek side. No faun would look so purposeful walking around to an armed group of Romans in the middle of the night.

He wore a green Nature Conservancy T-shirt with pictures of endangered whales and tigers and stuff. Nothing covered his shaggy goat legs and hooves. He had a bushy goatee, curly brown hair tucked into a Rasta-style cap, and a set of reed pipes around his neck. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, but considering the way he studied the Romans, noting their positions and their weapons, I figured this satyr had been in combat before.

At his side was a redheaded girl I did recognize from Camp Half-Blood—the camp's oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She had long frizzy hair, a plaid white blouse, and jeans covered with hand-drawn ink designs. She held a blue plastic hairbrush that she tapped nervously against her thigh like a good luck talisman.

I remember her at the campfire, reciting lines of the prophecy that sent Piper, Leo and me on our first quest together that we came to know as our first test as part of the Prophecy of Seven. Rachel was a regular mortal teenager—not a demigod—but for reasons I never understood, the spirit of Delphi had chosen her as its host.

The real question: What was she doing with the Roman and why did she bring a satyr?

She stepped forward, her eyes fixed on Reyna. "You got my message."

Octavian snorted. "That's the only reason you made it this far alive, _Graecus_ , I hope you've come to discuss surrender terms."

"Octavian…" Reyna warned.

"At least search them!" Octavian protested.

"No need," Reyna said, studying Rachel Dare. "Did you two bring weapons?"

Rachel shrugged. "Other than this hairbrush that I hit Kronos in the eye with once, no."

The Romans didn't seem to know what to make of that. The mortals didn't sound like she was kidding.

"And your friend?" Reyna nodded to the satyr, "I thought you said you were bringing a good friend of Percy's and Annabeth's.

"I did. This is Grover Underwood. Just like Jason Grace's sister Thalia Grace, Grover here is one of Percy's and Annabeth's oldest and most trusted friend," Rachel replied. "He's also a leader of the Council."

I quirked an eyebrow. So this satyr was one of Percy's and Thalia's oldest friends. And from the way Rachel said it, I had a feeling Grover knew my sister as well.

 _Then how come I never met him before_ , I thought.

Then I remember back at the camp fire, Annabeth mention someone name Grover was out looking for Percy. Maybe that's why I never met him until now.

"Council? What council?" Octavian demanded.

"Cloven Elders, man." Grover's voice was high and reedy, as if he were terrified, but I suspected the satyr had more steel than he let on. "Seriously, don't you Romans have nature and trees and stuff? I've got some news you need to hear. Plus, I'm a card-carrying protector, which is why I was asked to come here and protect Rachel."

Reyna looked like she was trying not to smile. "But no weapons?"

"Just my pipes." Grover's expression became wistful. "Percy always said my cover of 'Born to be Wild' should count as a dangerous weapon, but I don't think it's _that_ bad."

Reyna's gold and silver dog sniffed the air, but they remained calm and attentive at their mistress' side.

"So far, our guests speak the truth," Reyna said. "Be warned, Rachel and Grover, if you start to lie, this conversation will not go well for you. Say what you came to say."

From her jeans pocket, Rachel dug out a piece of napkin. "A message. From Annabeth."

I must have hit the water and died, because there's no way this vision was real. Annabeth was in Tartarus with Percy. How could she send a note on a napkin to anyone, and why to Rachel?

But this dream seemed very real. I could feel the wind sweeping across the roof. I could smell the storm. Lightning flickered over the Empire State Building, making the Roman's armor flash.

Reyna took the note. As she read it, her eyebrows crept higher. Her mouth parted in shock. Finally, she looked up at Rachel. "Is this a joke?"

"I wish," Rachel said. "They're really in Tartarus—at least, Percy and Annabeth are."

"But how—"

"I don't know," Rachel said. "The not appeared in the sacrificial fire at our dining pavilion. That's Annabeth's handwriting. She asks for you by name."

Octavian stirred. "Tartarus? What do you mean?"

Reyna handed him the letter.

Octavian muttered as he read: "Rome, Arachne, Athena— _Athena Parthenos?_ " He looked around in outrage, as if waiting for someone to contradict what he was reading. "A Greek trick! Greeks are _infamous_ for their tricks!"

Reyna took the note back. "Why ask this of me?"

Rachel smiled. "Because Annabeth is wise. She believes you can do this, and be one of the small percentage of female heroes that make demigod history."

"But I'm not part of the Prophecy of Seven," Reyna said.

Rachel smiled. "True, but you don't need to be the greatest heroes of your generation or be a demigod to be a great hero or to do the right thing to repair past mistakes, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano."

I felt like I'd been slapped. Nobody _ever_ used Reyna's full name. She hated telling anyone what it was. The only time I had ever said it aloud, just trying to pronounce it correctly, she'd given me a murderous look. _That was the name of a little girl in San Juan,_ she told me. _I left it behind when I left Puerto Rico._

Reyna would of scowled but something bothered her. "How did—what do you mean repair my past?"

"Uh," Grover Underwood interrupted. "You mean your initials are RA-RA?"

Reyna's hand drifted toward her dagger.

"But that's not important!" the satyr said quickly. "Look, we wouldn't have risked coming here if we didn't trust Annabeth's instincts. A Roman leader returning the most important Greek statue to Camp Half-Blood—she said that's the key to returning the statue and bringing peace between Greeks and Romans."

"This isn't a trick," Rachel added. "We're not lying. Ask your dogs."

The metallic greyhounds didn't react. Reyna stroke Aurum's head thoughtfully. "So, Annabeth found a way."

"Reyna!" Octavian cried. "You can't seriously be considering this! Even if the statue still exists, you see what they're doing. We're on the verge of attacking them—destroying the stupid Greek once and for all—and they concoct this stupid errand to divert your attention. They want to send you to your death!"

The other Romans muttered, glaring at their visitors. I remembered how persuasive Octavian could be, and he was winning the officers to his side.

Rachel Dare faced the augur. "Octavian, legacy of Apollo, you should take this more seriously. Even Romans respect your father's Oracle of Delphi."

"Ha!" Octavian said. "You're the Oracle of Delphi? Right. And I'm the Emperor Nero."

"At least Nero could play music," Grover muttered.

Octavian balled his fists.

Suddenly the wind shifted. It swirled around the Roman with hissing sound, like a nest of snakes. Rachel Dare glowed in a Green Aura, as if hit by a soft emerald spotlight. Then the wind faded and the aura was gone.

The sneer melted from Octavian's face. The Romans rustled uneasily.

"It's your decision," Rachel said, as if nothing happened. "I have no specific prophecy to offer you, but I _can_ see glimpses of the future. I see the Athena Parthenos on Half-Blood Hill. I see _her_ bringing it." She pointed at Reyna. "Also, Ella has been murmuring lines from your Sibylline Books—"

"What?" Reyna interrupted. "The Sibylline Books were destroyed centuries ago."

"I _knew_ it!" Octavian pounded his fist into his palm. "That harpy they brought back from the quest— _Ella_. I knew she was spouting prophecies! Now I understand. She—she somehow memorized a copy of the Sibylline books."

Reyna shook her head in disbelief. "How is that possible?"

"We don't know." Rachel admitted. "But, yes, that seems to be the case. Ella has perfect memory. She loves books. She practically read everything in Cabin Six and Percy's book on the ancient stories—although her boyfriend Tyson had to stop her from destroying it since it was one of Percy's personal items."

"The Cyclopes," Reyna remembered. "A Harpy dating a Cyclops?"

"I found it strange myself," Grover replied.

"Anyway, as I was saying before—somewhere, somehow she read your Roman book of Prophecies, which is why Percy send her to me. According to Tyson, since I contain the spirit of the Oracle he thought I could help her."

"Then you admit it! You stole her!" Octavian responded.

Grover huffed indignantly. "Ella isn't property! She's a free creature. She is free to stay and leave as she please, and she choose to stay at Camp Half-Blood with Tyson."

"Lies!" Octavian responded. "Since you took the Harpies we shall take your oracle."

The two centurions advanced, their _pila_ leveled. However, Grover released a loud panic screech that forced them to drop their weapons.

"Sorry. When I'm provoked in a certain way, my panic ability kicks in," Grover explained although I had a feeling he did that on purpose.

"Why you—" Octavian responded.

"Enough!" Reyna shouted.

She didn't often raise her voice. When she did, everyone listen.

"Since Octavian made the order, I'll forgive you for the Panic attack," Reyna said.

"What? But—" Octavian tried to argue.

Reyna shot him that shut him up.

"And since my dogs didn't attack you, I believe you what you said about Ella being send to you so you can help her, and that she is free to leave if she please," Reyna said.

"But—"

Once again Reyna send Octavian a warning look that told him if he don't shut up, he will regret it.

"Rachel Dare, you said that Annabeth is in Tartarus, yet she's found a way to send this message. She wants _me_ to bring this statue from the ancient lands to your camp."

Rachel nodded. "The only way to restore peace is for the Leader of the Roman Camp to return it. And since Jason and Percy are both part of the Prophecy of Seven—"

"The job is placed in my hands," Reyna said. "But what makes you think we want peace? After all, your ship attack our city?"

"You know why," Rachel said. "To avoid this war. To reconcile the gods' Greek and Roman sides. We have to work together to defeat Gaea."

Octavian seem to be fighting back the urge to argue.

"According to Percy Jackson," Reyna said, "the battle with Gaea will be fought in the ancient lands. In Greece."

"That's where the giants are," Rachel agreed. "Whatever magic, whatever ritual the giants are planning to wake the Earth Mother, I sense it will happen in Greece. But Gaea's plans aren't limited to just Olympus. Or did you notice the lack of support from the Amazons lately."

Reyna hesitated. "What—How do you know we haven't had support from the Amazons?"

"Because we haven't received word from our allies—the Hunters of Artemis either," Rachel said. "I fear Gaea has made plans to make sure neither the Hunters nor the Amazons can help either side."

Reyna was silent for a second before saying, "I fear as much."

"And it's not only that," Grover said. "Over the last few months, I've been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent. They're all saying the same thing. Gaea is stirring—I mean, she's _right_ on the edge of consciousness. She's whispering in the minds of naiads, trying to turn them. She's causing earthquakes, uprooting dryad trees. Last week alone, she appeared in human form in a dozen different places, scaring the horns off some of my friends. In Colorado, a giant stone fist rose out of the mountain and swatted some Party Ponies like flies."

Reyna frowned. "The Party Ponies."

"Long story," Rachel said. "The point is: Gaea's plans aren't bound to one place. She will rise _everywhere_. She's already stirring. No place will be safe from the battle. And we know that her first targets are going to be the demigod camps. She wants us destroyed."

"Speculation," Octavian said. "A distraction. The Greek fear our attack. They're trying to confused us. It's the Trojan Horse all over again!"

Reyna twisted the silver ring she always wore, with the sword and torch symbol of her mother, Bellona.

"Marcus," she said, "bring Scipio from the stables."

"Reyna, no!" Octavian protested.

She faced the Greeks. "I will do this for Annabeth, for the hope of peace between our camps, but do not think I have forgotten the insults to Camp Jupiter. Your ship fired on our city. _You_ declare war—not us. Now, leave."

Grover stamped his hoof. "Percy would never—"

"Grover," Rachel said, "We should go."

Her tone said: _Before it's too late._

After they had retreated back down the stairs, Octavian wheeled on Reyna. "Are you _mad_?"

"I am praetor of the legion," Reyna said. "I judge this to be in the interest of Rome."

"To get yourself killed? To break our oldest laws and travel to ancient lands? How will you even find their ship, assuming you survive the journey?"

"I will find them," Reyna said. "If they are sailing for Greece, I know a place Jason will stop. To face the ghosts in the House of Hades, he will need an army. There I only one place where he can find that sort of help."

In my dream, the building seemed to tilt under my feet. I remembered a conversation I'd had with Reyna years ago, a promise we had made to each other. I knew what she was talking about.

"This is insanity," Octavian muttered. "We're already under attack. We must take the offensive! Those hairy dwarfs have been stealing our supplies, sabotaging our scouting parties and pulling pranks on us—you _know_ the Greeks sent them.

"Perhaps," Reyna said. "But you will _not_ launch an attack without my orders. Continue scouting the enemy camp. Secure your position. Gather all the allies you can, and if you catch those dwarfs, you have my blessing to send them back to Tartarus. But do _not_ attack Camp Half-Blood until I return."

Octavian narrowed his eyes. "While you're gone, the augur is the senior officer. I will be in charge."

"I know," Reyna didn't sound happy about it. "But you have my orders. You all heard them." She scanned the faces of the centurions daring them to question her.

She stormed off, her purple cloak billowing and her dog at the heels.

Once she was gone, Octavian turned to the centurions. "Gather all the senior officers. I want a meeting as soon as Reyna has left on her fool's quest. There will be a few changes in the legion's plans."

One of the centurion opened his mouth to respond, but for some reason he spoke in Piper's voice: _"WAKE UP!"_

My eyes snapped open, and I saw the ocean's surface hurtling toward me.


	34. Jason's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part II**

I barely survived the fall.

Later, my friends explained that they hadn't seen me falling from the sky until the last second. There was no time for Frank to turn into an eagle and catch me; no time to formulate a rescue plan.

Only Piper's quick thinking and charmspeak had saved my life. She'd yelled _WAKE UP!_ With so much force that I left like I'd been hit with defibrillator paddles. With a millisecond to spare, I'd summoned the winds and avoided becoming a floating patch of demigod grease on the surface of the Adriatic.

Back on board, I had pulled Leo aside and suggested a course correction. Fortunately, Leo trusted me enough not to ask questions.

"Weird vacation spot," Leo grinned. "But, hey, you're the boss!"

Now, sitting with my friends in the mess hall, I felt _so_ awake, I doubted I would sleep for a week. My hand was jittery. I couldn't stop tapping my feet. Even my vision doesn't seem as hazy as it been since I left Camp Half-Blood. Although I still had to squint to see things.

Other than the vision, I guess that this was how Leo felt all the time. Well the vision and Leo's sense of humor.

After what I had seen in my dream, I didn't feel much like joking.

While we ate lunch, I reported on my midair dream vision. My friends were quiet long enough for Coach Hedge to finish a peanut butter and banana sandwich, along with the ceramic plate.

The ship creaked as it sailed through the Adriatic, its remaining oars still out of alignment from the giant turtle attack. Every once in a while Festus the figurehead creaked and squeaked through the speakers, reporting the autopilot status in that weird machine language that only Leo could understand.

"A note from Annabeth," Piper shook her head in amazement. "I don't see how that's possible, but if it is—"

"She's alive," Leo said. "Thank the gods and pass the hot sauce."

Frank frowned. "What does that mean?"

Leo wiped the chip crumbs off his face. "It means pass the hot sauce, Zhang. I'm still hungry."

Frank slid the jar of salsa. "I can't believe Reyna would try to find us. It's taboo, coming to the ancient lands. She'll stripped of her praetorship."

"If she lives," Hazel said. "It was hard enough for us to make it this far with seven demigods and a warship."

"And me," Coach Hedge belched. "Don't forget, cupcake, you got the _satyr_ advantage."

I had to smile. Coach Hedge could be pretty ridiculous, but I _was_ glad he'd come along. I thought about the satyr I'd seen in my dream—Grover Underwood. I couldn't imagine a satyr more different from Coach Hedge, but they both seemed brave in their own way.

It made me wonder about the fauns back at Camp Jupiter—whether they could be like that if the Roman demigods expected more from them. Another thing to add to my list…

 _My list._ I didn't even realize I _had_ one until that moment, but ever since leaving Camp Half-Blood, I'd been thinking of ways to make Camp Jupiter more… _Greek_.

I had grown up at Camp Jupiter. I'd done well there. But I had always been a little unconventional. I chafed under the rules.

I had joined the Fifth Cohort because everyone told me not to. They warned me it was the worst unit. So I'd thought. _Fine, I'll bring it honor and turn it into the best._

Once I became praetor, I'd campaigned to rename the legion the First Legion rather than the Twelfth Legion, to symbolize a new start for Rome. The idea had almost caused mutiny. New Rome was all about tradition and legacies; the rules didn't change easily. I had learned to live with that and even rose to the top.

But not that I'd seen both camps, I couldn't shake the feeling that Camp Half-Blood might have taught him more about myself. If I survived this war with Gaea and returned to Camp Jupiter as a praetor, could I change things for the better?

That was my duty. So why did the idea fill me with dread? I felt guilty about leaving Reyna to rule without him, but still… part of me wanted to go back to Camp Half-Blood with Piper and Leo. I guessed that made me a pretty terrible leader.

Then I think back to Percy. He had spent time in Camp Jupiter, I wonder if he had plans for Camp Half-Blood that involves the Roman camp. Maybe if Percy and Annabeth make it out of Tartarus alive, I should ask him about it and see if we can combine our plans to better both camps. Maybe we can find a way to make both of our plans come true.

"Jason?" Leo asked. " _Argo II_ to Jason. Come in."

I realized my friends were looking at me expectantly. They need reassurance. Whether or not he made it back to New Rome after the war, I had to step up now and act like a praetor.

"Yeah, sorry," I touched the groove that Sciron the bandit had cut in my hair. "Crossing the Atlantic is hard journey, no doubt. But I'd never bet against Reyna. If anyone can make it, she will."

Piper circled her spoon through her soup. I was still a little nervous about her getting jealous of Reyna, but when she looked up, she gave me a dry smile that seemed more teasing than in secure.

"Well, I'd _love_ to see Reyna again," she said. "But how is she supposed to find us?"

Frank raised his hand. "Can't you send her an Iris-message?"

"They're not working very well," Coach Hedge put in. "Horrible reception. Every night, I swear, I could _kick_ that rainbow goddess…"

He faltered. His face turned bright red.

"Coach?" Leo grinned. "Who have you been calling every night? Oh wait, let me guess. Mellie?"

Hazel frowned. "Who?"

Piper shot Leo a warning look telling him he better shut up before he gets on Coach's bad side. "Mellie is Coach's girlfriend."

"Oh, wow, I never would guess," Hazel replied as if trying to act like she knows nothing, but I could tell she knows something. "It's probably not Iris' fault—or Fleecy…"

"Who?" Leo asked.

"Iris' assistant," Frank replied, "Long story."

"What I was saying, there could be some magical interference. Maybe from Gaea, or maybe the Romans found a way to block them."

Frank drummed his fingers on the table. "I don't suppose Reyna has a cellphone…? Nah. Never mind. She'd probably have bad reception on a pegasus flying over the Atlantic."

I thought about the _Argo II's_ journey across the ocean, the dozens of encounters that had nearly killed us. Thinking about Reyna making that journey alone—I couldn't decide whether it was terrifying or awe-inspiring.

"She'll find us," I said. "She mentioned something in the dream—she's expecting me to go to a certain place on our way to the House of Hades. I—I'd forgotten about it, actually, but she's right. It's a place I need to visit."

Piper leaned toward me, her caramel braid falling over her shoulders. Her multicolored eyes made it hard for me to think straight.

"And where is this place?" she asked.

"A… uh, a town called Split."

"Split." She smelled really good—like blooming honeysuckle.

"Um, yeah." I wondered if Piper was working some sort of Aphrodite magic on me—like maybe every time I mentioned Reyna's name, she would befuddle me so much I couldn't think about anything but Piper. I supposed it wasn't the worst sort of revenge. "In fact, we should be getting close. Leo?"

Leo punched the intercom button. "How's it going up there, buddy?"

Festus the figurehead creaked and steamed.

"He says maybe ten minutes to the harbor," Leo reported. "Though I still don't get why you want to go to Croatia, especially a town called _Split_. I mean, you name your city _Split_ , you gotta figure it's a warning to, you know, _split_. Kind of like naming your city _Get Out!_ "

"Wait," Hazel said. "Why are we going to Croatia?"

I noticed that other than Frank, everyone was reluctant to meet her eyes. Since her trick with the Mist against Sciron the bandit, even I felt a little nervous around her. I knew that wasn't fair to Hazel. It was hard enough being a child of Pluto, but she'd pulled some _serious_ magic on that cliff. But I doubt it was the fact Hazel was powerful with the Mist on her first try that made everyone uneasy. After all, from what I heard, Percy himself was gifted in Mist Manipulation and my sister Thalia knows how to manipulated the mist.

It was more of the fact that according to Hazel, Pluto was able to stay in one form long enough to appeared to her afterwards, which the Romans had always consider as a _bad omen_.

Leo pushed his chips and hot sauce aside. "Well, technically we've been in Croatian territory for the past day or so. All that coastline we've been sailing past is _it_ , but I guess back in the Roman times it was called… what'd you say, Jason? Bodacious?"

"Dalmatia," Nico said, making me jump.

I wish someone put a bell on that kid to remind us he was there. Especially since Nico had this disturbing habit of standing silently in the corner, blending into the shadows.

He stepped forward, his dark eyes fixed on me. Since we'd rescued him from the bronze jar in Rome, Nico had slept very little and eaten even less, as if he were still subsisting on those emergency pomegranate seeds from the Underworld. He reminded me a little too much of a flesh-eating ghoul I'd once fought in San Bernardino.

"Croatia used to be Dalmatia," Nico said. "A major Roman province. You want to visit Diocletian Palace, don't you?"

Coach Hedge managed another heroic belch. " _Whose_ palace? And is Dalmatian dogs come from? That _101 Dalmations_ movie—I still have nightmares."

Frank scratched his head. "Why would you have nightmares about that?"

Coach Hedge looked like he was about to launch into a major speech about evils of cartoon Dalmatians, but I decided I didn't want to know.

"Nico's right," I said. "I need to go to Diocletians Palace. It's where Reyna will go first, because she knows _I_ would go there."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "And why would Reyna think that? Because you've always had a mad fascination with Croatian culture?"

I stared at my uneaten sandwich. It was hard to talk about my life before Juno wiped my memory. My years at Camp Jupiter seemed made up, like a movie I acted in decades before.

"Reyna and I used to talk about Diocletian," I said. "We both kind of idolized the guy as a leader. We talked about how we'd like to visit Diocletian's Palace. Of course we knew that was impossible. No one could travel to the ancient lands. But still, we made this pact that if we ever _did_ , that's where we'd go."

"Diocletian…" Leo considered the name, then shook his head. "I got nothing. Why was he important?"

Frank looked offended. "He was the last great pagan emperor!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprise you know that, Zhang?"

"Why wouldn't I? He was the last one who worshipped the Olympian gods, before Constantine came along and adopted Christianity."

Hazel nodded. "I remembered something about that. The nuns at St. Agnes taught us that Diocletian was a huge villain, right along with Nero and Caligula." Then she looked at me. "Why would you idolize him?"

"He wasn't a _total_ villain," I replied. "Yeah, he persecuted Christains, but otherwise he was a good ruler. He worked his way up from nothing by joining the legion. His mother and step father were slaves, but his dad was Jupiter—which made him the last demigod to rule Rome. He was also the first emperor ever to retire peacefully, and give up his power. He was from Dalmatia, so he moved back there and built a retirement palace. The town of Split grew up around…"

I faltered when I noticed Leo was mimicking taking notes with an air pencil.

"Go on, Professor Grace!" he said, wide-eyed. "I wanna get an A on the test."

"Shut up, Leo."

Piper sipped another spoonful of soup. "So why is Diocletian's palace so special?"

Nico leaned over and plucked a grape. Probably his entire diet for the day. "It's said to be haunted by the ghost of Diocletian."

"Who was a son of Jupiter, like me,' I said. "His tomb was destroyed centuries ago, but Reyna and I used to wonder if we could find Diocletian's ghost and ask where he was buried… well, according to the legends, his scepter was buried with him."

Nico gave me a thin, creepy smile. "Ah… _that_ legend."

"What legend?" Hazel asked.

Nico turned to his sister. "Supposedly Diocletian's scepter could summon the ghost of the Roman legions, any of them who worshipped the old gods."

Leo whistled. "Okay, _now_ I'm interested. Be nice to have a booty-kicking army of pagan zombies on our side when we entered the house of Hades."

"Not sure I would 've put it that way," I muttered. "but yeah."

"We don't have much time," Frank warned. "It's already July ninth. We have to get to Epirus, rescue Percy and Annabeth while closing Doors of Death—"

"Which are guarded," Hazel muttered, "By a smoky giant and two new figures Annabeth and Percy supposedly found."

All of us shuddered. After the Sciron Incident, Hazel revealed the slight change in the vision with Percy and Annabeth. Nico already came up with a theory of those figures might be, but none of us could decide whether those shadows with a hundred arms them or just Hecate pulling one over us since they supposedly disappeared and left their brother hundreds of years ago or if they change sides.

"Not to mention its guarded by that sorceress who wants…" Hazel hesitated. "Well, I'm not sure. But according to Pluto, she plans to 'rebuild her domain.' Whatever that means, it's bad enough that my dad felt like warning me personally."

Frank grunted. "And if we survive all that, we still have to find out where the giants are waking Gaea and get there before the first of August."

"I know," I said. "We won't take long in Split. But looking for the scepter is worth a try. While we're at the palace, I can leave a message for Reyna to meet us at Epirus."

Nico nodded. "The scepter of Diocletian could make a huge difference. You'll need my help."

I tried not to show my discomfort, but my skin prickled at the thought of going anywhere with Nico di Angelo.

I know Percy trust this guy enough to lead us to the House of Hades, but I'm still unsure about him. I mean, children of Hades and Pluto don't exactly have good records.

Piper squeezed my hand as if sensing my distress. "Hey, sounds fun. I'll go, too."

Nico shook his head. "You can't, Piper. It should only be Jason and me. Diocletian's ghost might appear for a son of Jupiter, but any other demigods most likely… ah, _spook_ him. And I'm the only one who can talk to his spirit. Even Hazel won't be able to do that."

Nico's eyes held a gleam of challenge. He seemed curious as to whether or not I would protest.

The ship bell sounded. Festus creaked and whirred over the loudspeaker.

"We arrived," Leo announced. "Time to Split."

Frank groaned. "Can we leave Valdez in Croatia?"

I stood. "Frank, you're in charge of defending the ship. Leo, you've got repairs to do. The rest of you, help out wherever you can. Nico and I…" I faced the son of Hades. "We have a ghost to find."

* * *

 **A/N:** I would of finished this last night, but I was so tired at the time I went to bed I was yawning every other minute


	35. Jason's POV Part III

I'm sorry to say I might take another break from fanfiction writing soon. My grandpa isn't doing so good and it doesn't look good. Please understand. Thank you!

 **A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part III**

I first saw the angel at the Ice Cream Cart.

The _Argo II_ had anchored in the bay along with six or seven cruise ships. As usual, the mortals didn't pay the trireme any attention; but just to be safe, Nico and I hopped on a skiff from one of the tourist boats so we would look like part of the crowd when they came ashore.

At first glance, Split seemed like a cool place. Curving around the harbor was a long esplanade lined with palm trees. At the sidewalk cafés, European teenagers were hanging out, speaking a dozen different languages and enjoying the sunny afternoon. The air smelled of grilled meat and fresh-cut flowers.

Beyond the main boulevard, the city was a hodgepodge of medieval castle towers, Roman walls, limestone town houses with red-tiled roofs, and modern office buildings all crammed together. In the distance, gray-green hills marched toward a mountain ridge, which made me a little nervous. I kept glancing at that rocky escarpment, expecting the face of Gaea to appear in its shadows.

Nico and I were wandering along the esplanade when I spotted the guy with wings buying an ice cream bar from a street cart. The vender lady looked bored as she counted the guy's change. Tourist navigated around the angel's huge wings without a second glance.

I nudged Nico. "Are you seeing this?"

"Yeah," Nico agreed. "Maybe we should buy some ice cream."

As we made our way toward the street cart, I was worried that this winged dude might be a son of Boreas the North Wind. At his side, the angel carried the same kind of jagged bronze sword that Boreads had, and my last encounter with them didn't go so well.

But this guy seemed more _chill_ than chilly. He wore a red tank top, Bermuda shorts, and huarache sandals. His wings were a combination of russet colors, like a bantam rooster or a lazy sunset. He had a deep tan and dark hair almost as curly as Leo's.

"He's not a returned spirit," Nico murmured. "Or a creature of the Underworld."

"No," I agreed. "I doubt they would eat chocolate-covered ice cream bars."

"So what is he?" Nico wandered.

I thought back carefully. Now that I think about it, this place is giving me a strange feeling. As if not the city but rather the area itself has history older than ancient Rome and this guy might be connected to it.

"Let's get a closer look," I suggested.

Nico nodded, probably because he senses the same thing as me.

We continued and we were only within thirty feet, and the winged dude looked directly at us. He smiled and gesture over his shoulder with his ice cream bar, and dissolved into the air.

I couldn't exactly _see_ him, but I'd had enough experience controlling the wind that I could track the angel's path—a warm wisp of red and gold zipping across the street, spiraling down the sidewalk, and blowing postcards from the carousels in front of the tourist shops. The wind headed toward the end of the promenade, where a big fortress like structure loomed.

"I'm betting that's the palace," I said. "Come on."

Even after two millennia, Diocletian's Palace was still impressive. The outer wall was only a pink granite shell, with crumbling columns and arched windows opened to the sky, but it was mostly intact, a quarter mile long and seventy or eighty feet tall, dwarfing the modern shops and houses that huddled beneath it. I imagine what the palace must have looked like when it was newly built, with Imperial guards walking the ramparts and the golden eagles of Rome glinting on the parapets.

The wild angel—or whatever he was—whisked in and out of the pink granite windows, then disappeared on the other side. I scanned the palace's façade for an entrance. The only one I saw was several blocks away, with tourists lined up to buy tickets. No time for that.

"We've got to catch him," I said. "Hold on."

"But—"

I grabbed Nico and lifted us both into the air.

Nico made a muffled sound of protest as we soared over the walls and into a courtyard where more tourists were milling around, taking pictures.

A little kid did a double take when we landed. Then his eyes glazed over and he shook his head, like he was dismissing a juice-box-induce hallucination. No one else paid us any attention.

On the left side of the courtyard stood a line of columns holding up weathered gray arches. On the right side was a white marble building with rows of tall windows.

"The peristyle," Nico said. "This was the entrance to Diocletian's private conversation." He scowled at me. "And please, I don't like being touched. Don't ever grab me again."

My shoulder blades tensed. I thought I heard the undertone of a threat, like: _unless you want to get a Stygian sword up your nose_.

As threatening as it seemed, I had to remind myself I had that coming. I did grab Nico not knowing he didn't like being touched without making sure it was okay.

"Okay, sorry," I replied. "How do you know what this place is called?"

Nico scanned the atrium as if he was finding anything that might trigger some of his memory.

Then I remember after Nico's Hazel's and Nico's trip to Venice, Frank mentioning something about Hades having Nico's and Bianca's memory wash away in the River Lethe as part of their own protection but it might have not been as permanent to the living as it is to the dead since Nico seem to regain some of his memories of his forgotten past time to time.

That's when Nico focused on some steps in the far corner, leading down.

"I've been here before." His eyes were as dark as his blade. "With my mother and Bianca. A weekend trip from Venice. I think I was six."

"That was when… the 1930s?"

"'Thirty-eight or so," Nico said absently. "Why do you care?"

That is a good question. I never been taken out of the time line or had died and was brought back. Thalia might understand this kid better than me considering she told me that she was once that Zeus turned her into a tree for six years and when she was revived, she didn't recognized anything.

"Do you see the winged guy anywhere?" Nico asked.

"No…" I replied. "Look, I don't know what you been through, but I'm trying to work with you. If we can't trust each other, how are we supposed to work together and save Annabeth and Percy?"

Nico clenched his fist until his fingers turn white. "Fine."

His voice was heavy with bitterness—more than I could understand. Piper had mentioned a rumor that Nico might have had a crush on Annabeth. Maybe it has to do with Nico's behavior.

Still… I didn't get why Nico pushed people away, why he never spent time at either camp, why he preferred the dead to the living. I _really_ didn't get why Nico had made an oath on the River Styx to lead the _Argo II_ to Epirus if he hated Percy Jackson so much

Nico's eyes swept the windows above us. "Roman dead are everywhere here… Lares. _Lemures_. They're watching. They're angry."

"At us?" my hand went to my sword.

"At everything." Nico pointed to a small stone building on the west end of the courtyard. "That used to be a temple to Jupiter. The Christians changed it to a baptistery. The Roman ghosts don't like that."

I stared at the dark doorway.

I never met Jupiter, but I thought of my father as a living person—the guy who'd fallen in love with my mom. Of course I knew my dad was immortal, but somehow the full meaning of that had never really sunk in until now, as I stared at the doorway Romans had walked through, thousands of years ago, to worship _my_ dad. The idea gave me a splitting headache.

"And over there…" Nico pointed east to a hexagonal building ringed with freestanding columns. "That was the mausoleum of the emperor."

"But his tomb isn't there anymore," I guessed.

"Not for centuries," Nico said. "When the empire collapsed, the building was turned into a Christian cathedral."

I swallowed. "So if Diocletian's ghost is still around here—"

"He's probably not happy."

The wind rustled, pushing leaves and food wrappers across the peristyle. In the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of movement—a blur of red and gold.

"That way." I pointed. "The winged guy. Where do you think those stairs lead?"

Nico drew his sword. His smile was even more unsettling than his scowl. "Underground," he said. "My favorite place."

 _Of course,_ I thought, but I kept it to myself.

I guess it makes sense though. As a child of Jupiter, I like the sky. As a child of Poseidon, Percy likes the sea. So as children of Hades I would guess it's natural Nico likes underground places. Only thing I could think for something to change it would be something to happen for them to think otherwise, like Thalia's fear of heights.

"Let's go down," I said.

…

Underground places never really been my favorite placed. Especially after my trip beneath Rome with Piper and Percy, fighting those twin giants in the hypogeum under the Colosseum. Ever since then most of my nightmares were about basements, trapdoors, and large hamster wheels.

Having Nico along was not reassuring. His Stygian iron blade seemed to make the shadows even gloomier, as if the infernal metal was drawing light and heat out of the air. I wish he use that hunter's knife Percy said he got from Bianca for light.

I still can't believe this kid is related to Bianca. Sure Bianca can be scary, but unlike Nico, Bianca never gave me a feeling that makes me rethink whether or not I should trust her. Sure she made me uneasy, but I thought that had more to do with Bianca being a Hunter. Other than that, Bianca reminded me more of Hazel.

Maybe Nico wasn't always like the way he is. Maybe there was a time where he was a different demigod. I don't see it now, but then again, I didn't know him before he brought Hazel to Camp Jupiter.

We crept through a vast cellar with thick support columns holding up a vaulted ceiling. The limestone blocks were so old, they had fused together from centuries of moisture, making the place look almost like a naturally form cave.

None of the tourist had ventured down here. Probably a trick of the Mist that kept them from coming down here.

I drew my _gladius_. We made our way under the low archways, their steps echoing on the stone floor. Barred windows lined the top of one wall, facing the street level, but that just made the cellar feel more claustrophobic. The shafts of sunlight looked like slanted prison bars, swirling with ancient dust.

I passed a support beam, looked to my left, and almost had a heart attack. Staring right at him was a marble bust of Diocletian, his limestone face glowering with disapproval.

I steadied my breathing. This seemed like a good place to leave the note I'd written for Reyna, telling her where to find us and the route we took. It was away from the crowds, but I trusted Reyna would find it. She had the instincts of a hunter. I slipped the note between the bust and its pedestal, and stepped back.

Diocletian's marble eyes made me jumpy. I couldn't help thinking of Terminus, the talking statue-god back at New Rome. I hoped Diocletian didn't bark at me or suddenly burst into song (a long story).

"Hello!"

Before I could register that the voice had come from somewhere else, I sliced off the emperor's head. The bust toppled and shattered against the floor.

"That wasn't very nice," said the voice behind me.

I turned and saw the winged man from the ice cream stand was leaning against a nearby column, casually tossing a small bronze hoop in the air. At his feet sat a wicker picnic basket full of fruit.

"I mean," the man said, "what did Diocletian ever do to you?"

The air swirled around my feet. The shards of marble gathered into a miniature tornado, spiraled back to the pedestal, and reassembled into a complete bust, the note still tucked underneath.

"Uh—" I lowered my sword. "It was an accident. You startled me."

The winged dude chuckled. "Jason Grace, the West Wind has been called many things… warm, gentle, life-giving, and devilishly handsome. But I have never been called _startling_. I leave that crass behavior to my gusty brethren in the north."

Nico inched backward. "The West Wind? You mean you're—"

"Favonius," I realized. "God of the West Wind."

Favonius smiled and bowed, obviously pleased to be recognized. "You can call me by my Roman name, certainly, or Zephyros, if you're Greek. I'm not hung up about it."

Nico looked pretty hung up about it. "So then you're one of the few minor gods not affected by the war?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. I have the occasional headaches," Favonius shrugged. "Some mornings I'll wake up in a Greek _chiton_ when I'm sure I went to sleep in my SPQR pajamas. But mostly, the war doesn't bother me. Unlike some of my Brethren, I never really been much in the limelight. The to-and-fro battles among you demigods don't affect me as greatly."

"So…" I wasn't quite sure whether to sheathe my sword. The last time I met one of the wind gods I been informed that all wind gods had the order to kill all demigods from Achelous, and no thanks to Gaea, it hasn't been lifted. "Why did you lead us to this cellar?"

"Well that's easy," Favonius said, spinning a bronze hoop on his index finger. "The sarcophagus of Diocletian. Yes. This was its final resting place. The Christians moved it out of the mausoleum. Then some barbarians destroy the coffin. I just want to show you"—he spread his hands sadly—"that what you're looking for isn't here. My master has taken it."

"Aeolus has the scepter?" I asked.

" _That_ airhead?" Favonius snorted. "No, of course not."

"He's talking about Eros," Nico's voice turned edgy. "Cupid, in Latin."

Favonius smiled. "Very good, Nico di Angelo. I'm glad to see you again, by the way. It's been a long time, and I'm glad you haven't completely ended up like some of your older half-siblings."

Nico knit his eyebrows. "How—I've never met you."

"You never _seen_ me," the god corrected. "But I've been watching you. When you came here as a small boy, and several times since. I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master's face."

Nico turned even paler than usual. His eyes darted around the cavernous room as if he was starting to feel trapped.

"Nico?" I said carefully. "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know. Nothing."

"Nothing?" Favonius cried. "The one you care for most… plunged into Tartarus, and still you will not allow the truth?"

Suddenly I felt like I was eavesdropping.

 _The one you care for most_.

Piper told me about Nico's crush on Annabeth, but apparently Nico's feelings went _way_ deeper than a simple crush.

"We've only come for Diocletian's scepter," Nico said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "Where is it?"

"Ah…" Favonius nodded sadly. "You thought it would be as easy as facing Diocletian's ghost? I'm afraid not, Nico. Your trials will be _much_ more difficult. You know, long before this was Diocletian's Palace, it was the gateway to my master's court."

That explains why the area felt older than Ancient Rome. But I didn't like the mention of difficult trials. Ever since the prophecy of seven started I felt like we been through nothing but trials, and when I thought we were done with them and have proven ourselves, the gods decided to tell us: _Hey, you're not done yet. You still need to close the Doors of Death to show your teamwork. But there's a catch, two of your friends need to fall into Tartarus and find the doors from there in order to pass._

I don't blame Nico for bringing up that the Doors of Death needs to be closed from both sides. We would find out eventually anyways. But after what we been through, I don't even know if I should trust Favonius.

"I wouldn't worry about my order to kill demigods, Jason Grace," Favonius said as if reading my mind. "Since my loyalty lies with Cupid, I been ignoring Aeolus' order. Unlike Aeolus, Cupid hasn't created some ridiculous reason to hold grudge against demigods to the point of sending me the order to kill any who sought love in his presence. You heard of the story of Psyche, right?"

The story ringed in my mind. "She was Cupid's wife. You carried her to his palace."

Favonius' eyes twinkled. "That's correct, Jason Grace. From this exact spot, I carried Psyche on the winds and brought her to the chambers of my master. Even after she looked upon my master's face and hurt his trust, Psyche did everything in her power to make it up to him. All of it possible with my service to my master. In fact, that is why Diocletion built his palace here. This place has always been graced by the gentle West Wind." He spread his arms. "It is a spot of tranquility and love in a turbulent world. When Diocletian's Palace was ransacked—"

"You took the scepter," I guessed.

"For safekeeping," Favonius agreed. "It is one of Cupid's many treasures, a reminder of better times. If you want it…" Favonius turned to Nico. "You must face the god of love."

Nico stared at the sunlight coming through the windows, as if wishing he could escape through those narrow openings.

I wasn't sure what Favonius wanted, but if _facing the god of love_ meant forcing Nico into some sort of confession about which girl he liked, it couldn't be too bad, right?

"Nico, you can do this," I said. "It might be embarrassing, but it's for the scepter."

Nico didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked like he was going to be sick. But he squared his shoulders and nodded. "You're right. I—I'm not afraid of a love god."

Favonius beamed. "Excellent! Would you two like a snack before you go?" He plucked a green apple from his basket and frowned at it. "Oh, bluster. I keep forgetting my symbol is a basket of _unripe_ fruit. Why doesn't the spring wind get more credit? Summer has _all_ the fun."

"That's okay," Nico said quickly. "Just take us to Cupid."

Favonius spun the hoop on his finger, and my body dissolved into air.


	36. Jason's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part IV**

I learn quickly that riding the wind is not the same as being the winds.

I felt out of control, my thoughts scattered, no boundaries between my body and the rest of the world. I wondered if this as how monsters felt when they were defeated—bursting into dust, helpless and formless.

I could sense Nico's presence nearby. The West Wind carried us into the sky above Split. Together we raced over the hills, past Roman aqueducts, highways, and vineyards. As we approach the mountains, I saw the ruins of a Roman town spread out in the valley below—crumbling walls, square foundations, and cracked roads, all overgrown with grass—so it looked like a giant, mossy game board.

Favonius set us down in the middle of the ruins, next to a broken column the size of a redwood.

My body re-formed. For a moment it felt even worse than being the wind, like I'd suddenly been wrapped in a lead overcoat.

"Yes, mortal bodies are _terribly_ bulky," Favonius said, as if reading my thoughts. The wind god settled on a nearby wall with his basket of unripe fruit and spread his russet wings in the sun. "Honestly, I don't know how you stand it, day in and day out."

I scanned our surroundings. The town must have been huge once. I could make out the shells of temples and bathhouses, and half-buried amphitheater, and empty pedestals that must have once held statues. Rows of columns marched off to nowhere. The old city walls wove in and out of the hillside like stone threaded through a green cloth.

Some areas looked like they'd been excavated, but most of the city just seemed abandoned, as if it had been left to the elements for the last two thousand years.

"Welcome to Salona," Favonius said. "Capital of Dalmatia! Birthplace of Diocletian! But before that, _long_ before that, it was the home of Cupid."

The name echoed as if voices were whispering it through the ruins.

Something about this place seemed even creepier than the palace basement in Split.

I had never thought much about Cupid. Despite the fact that Cupid not just being a son of Venus but also a son of Mars, I never thought of the god as scary. Even for Roman demigods, the name conjured up an image of a silly winged baby with a toy bow and arrow, flying around in diapers on Valentine's day.

In fact, before we left Charleston, I would of thought that was what Cupid's Roman form look like. But after learning from Piper's Annabeth's and Hazel's chat with Piper's mom Aphrodite that love is universal and that Venus and Aphrodite were one being, I wondered if it's the same for Cupid as well.

"Fair warning, Cupid isn't what mortals normally think of him as," Favonius said. "He's not a winged baby with a toy and arrow, flying around in his diapers."

"Is he affected by the war, or is he like his mother?" I asked.

Favonius seem taken back by my question.

"So you know Lady Aphrodite isn't affected by the war due to her domain?" Favonius asked.

"That love is universal, just like revenge and fate, and thus Venus, yes," I replied. "Some of our friends had encountered Aphrodite and Nemesis."

Favonius nodded. "Well, to answer your question, Cupid is immune to the War thanks to his domain. So you may call him Cupid or Eros if you choose. Just know he's not that Valentines gimmick mortals created.

Nico braced himself against a column, his legs still trembling visibly.

"Hey, man…" I stepped toward him, but Nico waved me off.

At Nico's feet, the grass turned brown and wilted. The dead patch spread outward, as if poison were seeping from his shoes.

"Ah…" Favonius nodded sympathetically. "I don't blame you for being nervous, Nico di Angelo. Do you know how _I_ ended up serving Cupid?"

"I don't serve anyone," Nico muttered. "Especially not Cupid."

Favonius continued as if he hadn't heard. "I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus. He was _quite_ extraordinary."

"He…?" my brain was still fuzzy from my wind trip, so it took me a second to process that. "Oh…"

"Yes, Jason Grace." Favonius arched an eyebrow. "I fell in love with a _dude_. Does that shock you?"

Honestly, I wasn't sure. I tried not to think about the details of godly love lives, no matter _who_ they fell in love with. After all, my dad, Jupiter, wasn't exactly a model of good behavior. Compared to some of the Olympian love scandals I'd heard about, the West Wind falling in love with a mortal guy didn't seem very shocking. "I guess not. So… Cupid struck you with his arrow, and you fell in love."

Favonius snorted. "You make it sound so simple. Alas, love is never simple. You see, the god Apollo also liked Hyacinthus. He claimed they were just friends. I don't know. But one day I came across them together playing a game of quoits—"

"Quiots?" I asked.

"A game with those hoops," Nico explained, though his voice was brittle. "Sort of like a combination of ring toss and horseshoes."

"In away," Favonius said. "At any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding out the truth, I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring right at Hyacinthus' head and… well." The wing god sighed. "As Hyacinthus died, Apollo turned him into a flower, the hyacinth. I'm sure Apollo would've taken horrible vengeance on me, but Cupid offered me his protection. I'd done a terrible thing, but I'd been driven mad by love, so he spared me, on the condition that I work for him forever."

"I guess Aeolus wasn't too happy about that," I responded.

"Well, I still do small stuff for Aeolus and other gods, like helping Athena send her half-blood children to their mortal parents once in a while or defending Olympus from any air invasions by the Titan army," Favonius said, "But when it comes to orders like destroying heroes that comes to ask for my favor—well, I have to get it through Cupid first since helping demigods that comes to him is his job."

 _CUPID._

The name echoed through the ruins again.

"That would be my cue," Favonius stood. "Think long and hard about how you proceed, Nico di Angelo. You cannot lie to Cupid. Heed Bianca's warning about grudges. If you let your anger rule you… well, your fate will be even sadder than mine."

I felt like my brain was turning back into the wind. I didn't understand what Favonius was talking about, or why Nico seemed so shaken, but he had no time to think about it. The wind god disappeared in a swirl of red and gold. The summer air suddenly felt oppressive. The ground shook, and Nico and I drew our swords.

…

 _So._

The voice rushed past my ear like a bullet. When I turned, no one was there.

 _You come to claim the scepter._

Nico stood at his back, and for once I was glad to have the guy's company.

"Cupid," I called. "where are you?"

The voice laughed. It definitely didn't _sound_ like a cute baby angel's. It sounded deep and rich, but also threatening—like a tremor before a major earthquake. A voice you expect from a godly child of war and love.

 _Where you least expect me,_ Cupid answered. _As Love always is._

Something slammed into me and hurled me across the street. I toppled down a set of steps and sprawled on the floor of an excavated Roman basement.

 _I would think you'd know better, Jason Grace._ Cupid's voice whirled around me. _You've found true love, after all. Or do you still doubt yourself._

Nico scrambled down the steps. "You okay?"

I accepted his hand and got to my feet. "Yeah. Just sucker punch."

 _Oh, did you expect me to play fair?_ Cupid laughed. _I am the god of love. I am_ never _fair._

This time, my senses were on high alert. I felt the air ripple just as an arrow materialized, racing toward Nico's chest.

I intercepted it with my sword and deflected it sideways. The arrow exploded against the nearest wall, peppering them with limestone shrapnel.

We ran up the steps and I pulled Nico to one side before another gust of wind toppled a column that would have crush him flat. Nico tensed but he didn't say anything. I guess it's hard to complain about being touched when the person just saved you.

"Is this guy Love or Death?" I growled.

 _Ask your friends,_ Cupid said. _Frank, Hazel, and Percy met my counterpart We are not so different. Except Death is sometimes kinder._

"We just want the scepter!" Nico shouted. "We're trying to stop Gaea. Are you on the gods' side or not?"

A second arrow hit the ground between Nico's feet and glowed white-hot. Nico stumbled back as the arrow burst into a geyser of flame.

 _Love is on every side,_ Cupid said. _And no one's side. Don't ask what Love can do for you_.

"Great," I said. "Now he's spouting greeting card messages."

And yet I can't help but think how ruthless Cupid seem to be like Ares or Mars.

Movement behind me and I spun, slicing my sword through the air. My blade hit into something solid. I heard a grunt and I spun again, but the invisible god was gone. One the paving stones, a trail of golden ichor shimmered—the blood of the gods.

 _Very good, Jason,_ Cupid said. _At least you can sense my presence. Even a glancing hit at true love is more than most heroes manage._

"So do I get the scepter now?" I asked.

Cupid laughed. _Unfortunately, you could not wield it. Only a child of the Underworld with the power over the dead can summon the dead legions. And only an officer of Rome can lead them._

"But…" I wavered. I _was_ an officer. I was praetor. Then I remembered all my second thoughts about where I belonged. In New Rome, I'd thought of offered to give up my position to Percy Jackson. Did that make me unworthy to lead a legion or Roman ghost?

I decided to face that problem when the time came.

"Just leave that to us," I said. "Nico can summon—"

The third arrow zipped by my shoulder and I couldn't stop it in time. Nico gasped as it sunk into his sword arm.

"Nico!"

The son of Hades stumbled. The arrow dissolved, leaving no blood and no visible wound, but Nico's face was tight with rage and pain.

"Enough games!" Nico shouted. "Show yourself!"

 _It is a costly thing,_ Cupid said, _looking on the true face of Love._

Another column toppled. I manage to scrambled out of its way.

 _My wife Psyche learned that lesson, back when she was mortal_ , Cupid said. _She was brought here eons ago, when this was the site of my palace. We met only in the dark. She was warned never to look upon me, and yet she could not stand the mystery. She feared I was a monster. One night she lit a candle, and beheld my face as I slept._

"Were you that ugly?" I finally caught onto the direction of Cupid's voice—at the edge of the amphitheater about twenty yards away—but I wanted to be sure.

The god laughed. _I was too handsome, I'm afraid. A mortal cannot gaze upon the true appearance of a god without suffering the consequences. My mother, Aphrodite, cursed Psyche for her distrust. My poor lover was tormented, forced into exile, given horrible tasks to prove her worth. She was even sent to the Underworld on a quest to show her dedication. She earned her way back to my side and became immortal for it, but not before she suffered greatly._

 _Now I've got you,_ I thought

I thrust my sword in the sky and thunder shook the valley. Lightning blasted a crater where the voice had been speaking.

Then an invisible force knocked me to the ground. My sword skittered across the road.

 _A good try,_ Cupid said, his voice already distant. _But Love cannot be pinned down so easily._

Next to me, a wall collapsed. I barely managed to roll aside.

"Stop it!" Nico yelled. "It's me you want. Leave him alone!"

My ears rang. I was dizzy from getting smack around. My mouth tasted like limestone dust. I didn't understand why Nico would think of himself as the main target, but Cupid agree.

 _Poor Nico di Angelo,_ the god's voice was tinged with disappointment. _Do you know what you want, much less what I want? My beloved Psyche risked everything in the name of Love. It was the only way to atone for her lack of faith. And you—what have you risk in my name?_

"I've been to Tartarus and back," Nico snarled. "You don't scare me."

 _I scare you very, very much. Face me. Be honest._

I managed to pull myself up to see what was going on—at least with Nico.

All around Nico, the ground shifted. The grass withered, and the stones cracked as if something was moving in the earth beneath, trying to push its way through.

"Give us Diocletian's scepter," Nico said. "We don't have time for games."

 _Games?_ Cupid struck, slapping Nico into a granite pedestal. _Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work—a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you—especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards._

If Cupid represents a type of love, I figure it's the dark side of it—the harshness and cruelty. And to be honest, I'm starting to prefer Piper's version—considerate, kind, and beautiful.

"Nico," I called, "what does this guy _want_ from you?"

 _Tell him, Nico di Angelo,_ Cupid said. _Tell him you are a coward, afraid of yourself and your feelings. Tell him the real reason you stayed away from Camp Half-Blood, and why you are always alone._

Nico let loose a guttural scream. The ground at his feet split open and skeletons crawled forth—dead Romans with missing hands and caved-in skulls, cracked ribs, and jaws unhinged. Some were dressed in the remnants of togas. Others had glinting pieces of armor hanging off their chests.

 _Will you hide among the dead, as you always do?_ Cupid taunted.

Waves of darkness roll off the son of Hades. When it hit me, I almost lost consciousness—overwhelmed by hatred and fear and shame…

Images flashed through my mind. I saw Bianca Nico and Annabeth at a cliff in Maine watching Percy along with my sister Thalia and the satyr from my last dream vision Grover fighting a Manticore. Nico was focus on Percy as he managed to create a hurricane wall of defense around him and Thalia. It was as if Nico realized Percy was real deal powerful demigod like in his mythomagic games.

Later, at Camp Half-Blood, I saw Percy promising Nico that he wouldn't treat Bianca any different when she was claimed. Nico stared into Percy's sea green eyes and believed him.

After that, I'm guessing it was when Nico first ran away, because he was in some kind of tunnel talking to some kind of ghost.

 _You think that boy would treat you any different than those Campers did? He will hate you for your heritage just like all the rest._

Nico seemed to believe the ghost, but at the same time question if it was true or not. He seemed to wonder if it was for the best to stay away from camp.

I saw a dozen more scenes like this from Nico's point of view… and they stunned me to the point I was unable to move or speak.

Meanwhile, Nico's Roman skeletons surge forward and grappled with something invisible. The god struggled, flinging the dead aside, breaking off ribs and skulls, but the skeletons kept coming, pinning the god's arms.

 _Interesting!_ Cupid said. _Do you have the strength after all?_

"I stayed away from Camp Half-Blood because of love," Nico said. "Annabeth… she—"

 _Still hiding,_ Cupid said, smashing another skeleton to pieces. _You do not have the strength._

"Nico," I manage to say, "it's okay. I get it."

Nico glanced over, pain and misery washing over his face.

"No, you don't," he said. "There's no way you can understand."

 _And so you're running away again,_ Cupid chided. _In order to stay away from your friends and your feelings._

"I don't have friends!" Nico yelled. "I left Camp Half-Blood because I don't belong! I stayed away because I'll never belong!"

The skeletons had Cupid pinned now, but the invisible god laughed so cruelty that I wanted to summon another bolt of lightning. Unfortunately, I doubt I had the strength. I'm also wondering if I should as what Favonius said earlier rang through my head: _Are you shock?_ As a thought rang to my head before Nico even spoke up.

Nico's voice was like broken glass. "I wasn't in love with Annabeth."

"You were jealous of her," I said. "That's why you didn't want to be around her. Especially why you didn't want to be around… him. It makes total sense."

All the fight and denial seemed to go out of Nico at once. The darkness subsided. The Roman dead collapsed into bones and crumbled to dust.

"I hated myself," Nico said. "I hated Percy Jackson."

Cupid became visible—a lean, muscular young man with snowy white wings, straight black hair, a simple frock and jeans. The bow and quiver slung over his shoulder were no toys—they were weapons of war. His eyes were red as blood, as if every Valentine in the world had been squeezed dry, distilled into one poisonous mixture. His face was handsome as expected from a son of Aphrodite but harsh as expected from most children of Ares. He watch Nico with satisfaction, as if he'd identified the exact spot for his next arrow to make a clean hit.

"I had a crush on Percy," Nico spat. "That's the truth. That's the big secret."

He glared at Cupid. "Happy now?"

For the first time, Cupid's gaze seemed sympathetic. "Oh, I wouldn't say Love makes you happy." His voice sounded smaller, much more human. "Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad. But at least you've _faced_ it now. That's the only way to conquer me."

Cupid dissolved into the wind.

On the ground where he stood lay an ivory staff three feet long, topped with a dark globe of polished marble about the size of a baseball, nestled on the backs of three gold Roman eagles. The scepter of Diocletian.

Nico knelt and picked it up. He regarded me, as if waiting for an attack. I'm guessing that it was hard for him back in the 1940s in ways most of his siblings wouldn't understand either, so he kept it a secret.

Then he said, "If the others found out—"

"I swear on the River Styx I won't tell the others without your permission," I said. "Besides, it's not my secret to tell. But know this, if you tell them, they won't shun you. You will have many more people to back you up."

Nico looked unsure but he nodded. "I don't feel that way about Percy anymore," he muttered. "I gave up on him. I was young and impressionable, and I—I don't…"

His voice cracked, and I could tell the guy was about to get teary-eyed. Whether or not Nico had really given up on Percy is hard to tell.

I found myself no longer scared of Nico, but rather want to help him so he would no longer feel scare about who he really is.

"Nico," I said gently. "I've seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest."

Nico looked up, still uncertain. "We should get back to the ship."

"Yeah. I can fly us—"

"No," Nico announced. "This time we're shadow-traveling. I've had enough of the winds for a while."

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I'm not on break yet because my grandpa is still alive, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.


	37. Annabeth's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part IX**

Percy was barely conscious by time we got to the second rest stop, if you call a home of a Giant a rest stop.

I know Percy don't blame Calypso for me being isolated from him, and I don't argue against it since it was most likely Zeus' fault for not keeping his oath. But I _was_ tempted to find Hades after this and request a harsher punishment for Phineas since the Gorgon's blood poison that is killing my boyfriend is his doing.

Bob carried Percy while the skeleton kitten Small Bob curled up on Percy's chest and purred. I guess Small Bob decided to ignore the hellhound scent from Mrs. O'Leary since Percy was dying. Bob lumbered a long at a fast pace, even for a Titan.

One of the Hundred Handed ones, Cottus: Had to pick me up and carry me on his shoulders so I could keep up with them. Gyges stood at guard in the back, making sure no enemies find us.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"Not too long," Cottus said. "We should be hearing the Drakon's roar soon."

"Drakon roar?"

"Old foe of Damasen. The two are cursed to fight each other down here for all eternity for defying Gaea," Gyges said.

We continued until the landscape change again. They were still going downhill, which should have made traveling easier, but the ground sloped at just the wrong angle—too steep to jog, at least for me to do it alone. Judging from the patches of loose gravel and slime, I would guess we were in Tartarus' large intestine.

Bob had to drape Percy over his shoulder (I wanted to yell at Bob when Percy to groan in pain cause of it) so he could climb down.

I flashed back to my tea party with Piper, Hazel, and Aphrodite in Charlseton. Gods, that seemed so long ago. Aphrodite sighed and waxed nostalgic about the good old days of the Civil War—how love and war always went hand in hand.

Aphrodite gestured proudly to me, using me as an example for the other girls: _I once promised to make her love life interesting. And didn't I?_

I wanted to throttle the goddess of love. I'd had more than my share of _interesting_. Now I was holding out for a happy ending. Surely that was possible. Yeah, there were tragic heroes, but there were heroes who faced death and yet live a happy ending. Surely Percy and I deserve that much.

I thought about Percy's plans for New Rome—a plan that included us. We would settle down there, go to college together. At first, the idea of Greeks and Romans living together appalled me. I had resented the Romans for taking Percy away from me.

Now I would accept that offer gladly if it means a happy ending.

But only if we survive this. If Reyna got my message. If everything pulls off in a long shot.

Right now, however, I need to concentrate on the present as Cottus used his hundred hands to carry me and climbed down without a problem. Something only someone with more than two hands can do.

Suddenly Bob Gyges and Cottus stopped.

"Look," Bob said.

Ahead in the gloom, the terrain leveled out into a black swamp. Sulfur-yellow mist hung in the air. Even without sunlight, there were actual plants—clumps of reed, scrawny leafless trees, even a few sickly looking flowers blooming in the muck. Mossy trails wound between bubbling tar pits. Directly in front of me, sunk into the bog, were footprints the size of trash-can lids, with long, pointed toes.

I had a good idea what made that. "Drakon?"

"Yes and Damasen's enemy." Bob grinned at me. "That's good!"

"I just hope Damasen isn't too busy fighting his foe to help Percy," Gyges said.

I just hope he _can_ help Percy. Percy seemed to have hope when he agreed to us finding Damasen to cure him.

The Titan and the two Hundred Handed ones continued down the path. They seemed to slow down through the terrain, which made me worry. Percy had started mumbling deliriously, and his forehead was dangerously hot. Several times he muttered _Annabeth_ and I fought back a sob.

Stupid Achilles Curse. If it could make Percy's skin harder than steel and enhance his skills and powers, why couldn't it protect him from the _arai_ curse, or from Gorgon's blood?

Finally, the yellow mist parted, revealing a muddy clearing like an island in the muck. The ground was dotted with stunted trees and wart mounds. In the center of the loom a large, dome hut made of bones and greenish leather. Smoke rose from a hole in the top. The entrance was covered with curtains of scaly reptile skin and flanking the entrance, two torches made from colossal femur bones burned bright yellow.

What really caught my attention was the Drakon skull. Fifty yards into the clearing, about halfway to the hut, a massive oak tree jutted from the ground at a forty-five-degree angle. The jaws of a Drakon skull encircled the trunk, as if the oak tree were the dead monster's tongue.

"Damasen collects and reuse any trophies of war he gets for destroying the Drakon," Cottus explained.

"He recycles Drakon parts?" I asked.

"If that's what mortals call it these days," Cottus said. "All I know is that Damasen _never_ runs out of supplies because of it. One time Gyges and I visited him and he gave us a Drakon femur club to help us deal with some nasty Laistrygonians."

"What happened to it?" I asked.

"We gave them to some friendly Cyclopes who were killed in some kind of Atlantian battle," Gyges said.

I remembered Percy telling me once of how Tyson charged into battle after Oceanus' army blast through the underwater forges. I never thought though that the cyclopes who served Olympus ending up down here though.

Suddenly Small Bob arched his back and hissed. Behind us, a mighty roar echoed through the swamp—a sound I had last heard in the Battle of Manhattan.

I turned and saw the Drakon charging toward us.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I'm not on break yet because my grandpa is still alive, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.


	38. Annabeth's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part X**

It's a shame the Drakon was out to kill us, because it was the most beautiful thing I had seen since I had fallen into Tartarus.

Its hide was dappled green and yellow, like sunlight through a forest canopy. Its reptilian eyes were my favorite shade of sea green (just like Percy's). When its frills unfurled around its head, I couldn't help but think what a regal and amazing monster it was. If it wasn't for Cottus keeping me on his shoulders, I probably be killed because I was too mesmerized by it to even think to attack it.

It was easily as long as a subway train—although if Cottus and Gyges were anything like Briares and can grow tall enough to touch the sky, I doubt the Drakon's size alone was a threat to them. Its massive talons dug into the mud as it pulled itself forward, its tail whipping side to side. The Drakon hissed, spitting jets of green poison that smoked on the mossy ground and set tar pits on fire, filling the air with the scent of fresh pine and ginger. The monster even _smelled_ good. Like most drakons, it was wingless, longer, and more snakelike than a dragon, and it looked hungry.

"Maeonian Drakon," Bob said rubbing his back with one hand.

I almost forgot about the wound Bob got when he protected Silena Beauregard from a Drakon during the Battle of Manhattan. It probably healed by now, considering Bob is a titan, but I wouldn't be surprise if the memory was still fresh.

"Can we kill it?" I asked.

"Down here, not likely," Gyges said.

"The Drakon can only be killed by Damasen," Cottus replied.

The Drakon roared as if to accentuate the point, filling the air with more pine-ginger poison.

"So where is this giant?" I asked.

"ROOOOOAAAR!"

I looked around behind me and saw the giant emerging from his hut.

He was about twenty feet tall—typical giant height—with a humanoid upper body, and scaly reptilian legs, like a bipedal dinosaur. He had no weapon. Instead of armor, he wore a shirt stitched together with a combination of sheep high and green-spotted leather that I guess was made out of Drakon hide. His skin was cherry red; his beard and hair the color of iron rust, braided with tufts of grass, leaves, and swamp flowers.

He shouted in challenge and Bob Gyges and Cottus moved out of the way as the giant stormed toward the Drakon.

They clashed like some sort of weird Christmas combat scene—red versus green. The Drakon spewed poison. The giant lunged to one side. He grabbed the oak tree and pulled it from the ground, roots and all. The old skull crumbled to dust as the giant hefted the tree like a baseball bat.

The drakon's tail lashed around the giant's waist, dragging him closer to its gnashing teeth. But as soon as the giant was in range, he shoved the tree straight down the monster's throat.

I hoped I never see such a gruesome scene, but I have feeling I shouldn't keep my hopes up down here. The tree pierced the drakon's gullet and impaled it to the ground. The roots began to move, digging deeper as they touched the earth, anchoring the oak until it looked like it had stood in that spot for centuries. The drakon shook and thrash, but it was pinned fast.

The giant brought his fist down on the drakon's neck. _CRACK._ The monster went limp. It began to dissolve only scraps of bone, meat, hide, and a new drakon skull whose open jaws ringed the oak tree.

Bob grunted. "Good one."

The kitten purred in agreement and started cleaning his paws… once in a while cleaning its bone paws.

The giant kicked at the drakon's remains, examining them critically. "No good bones," he complained. "I wanted a new walking stick. Hmpf. Some good skin for outhouse, though."

He ripped some soft hide from the drakon's frills and tucked it in his belt.

"I'm guessing this guy is Damasen?" I asked.

"Yeah," Cottus replied, "You couldn't ask for a better giant. And by that I mean good giant. He'll have Percy cure before you know it."

I watched the giant Damasen, who was now ripping chunk of bloody meat from the drakon carcasses with his bare hands.

If I was any other demigod who haven't met or heard of the other giants, I would think if this guy was Gaea's rebel child, I hate to meet her obedient children. Sadly to say I have met the Earth's goddess' obedient children.

"Good meat for dinner." Damasen stood up straight and studied me on Cottus shoulder. I guess he really did know Gyges and Cottus because he sighed. "You two again. I should of known you be stirring my old foe. Well, come on in, and bring your friends. We will have stew, and I'll see about saving your friend with the Titan."

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I'm not on break yet because my grandpa is still alive, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

I'm half way through the story. I hope you enjoy


	39. Annabeth's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XI**

I was amaze to find that the home of a giant located in the marsh of Tartarus cozy.

It was as big as a planetarium and Cottus was kidding when he said the giant recycles Drakon parts as the place was constructed by Drakon bones and skin along with mud. It was very cozy to say the least

In the center blazed a bonfire made of pitch and bone; yet the smoke was white and odorless, rising through the hole in the middle of the ceiling. The floor was covered with dry marsh grass and gray wool rugs. At one end lay a massive bed of sheepskin and drakon leather. At the other end, freestanding racks were hung with drying plants, cured leather, and what looked like strips of drakon jerky. The whole place smelled of stew, smoke, basil, and thyme.

The only thing that worried me was the flock of sheep huddled in a pen at the back of the hut.

I still remembered the flesh eating sheep Polyphemus the Cyclopes had and for sheep to be in Tartarus, I couldn't help but wonder if they're the same breed.

Bob placed Percy on the giant's bed where he nearly disappeared in the wool and leather. Small Bob hopped off Percy and kneaded the blankets, purring so strongly the bed rattled like one of Procrustes' Thousand-Finger Message, minus the ropes strapping you down and holding you down as it stretches you to your death—something I don't want to relive (long story).

Cottus and Gyges had shrunk down to twenty feet tall and Cottus put me down on the ground to join his brother in a corner.

Damasen plodded to the bonfire. He tossed his drakon meat into a hanging pot that seemed to be made from an old monster skull, then picked up a ladle and began to stir.

"So you two destroyed those drakon clubs I gave you," Damasen said.

"Actually we gave them to a couple of Cyclopes that died protecting Poseidon's palace," Gyges said. "They needed it more than us."

"Very well," Damasen responded.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Percy was closer to death by the minute. I took a deep breath and marched up to Damasen. "My boyfriend is dying and I need you to heal him!"

My voice caught on the word _boyfriend_. Even when I say it, it didn't really cover how I feel about him. We been through so much together, and at this point Percy was _part_ of me—someone I could not live without.

Damasen looked down at me, glowering under is bushy red eyebrows. I had met large scary humanoids before, but Damasen unsettled me in a different way. He didn't seem hostile. He radiate sorrow and bitterness, as if he were so wrapped up in his own misery that he resented me for trying to make him focus on anything else.

"I see why the Hundred Handed Ones agreed to help you. You and your— _boyfriend_ —must have reminded them of the life they left behind for them to agree to help you."

"It helps that Percy and Annabeth knows our brother Briares too," Gygess said.

"Ah, right the third brother," Damasen said.

"You're missing the point!" I responded. "Percy is poisoned with gorgon's blood. He needs your medicine! Do you have it or not?"

Angering a twenty-foot-tall drakon slayer probably wasn't a wise strategy, but I wasn't going to take the diplomat approach with Percy dying.

"Very well." Damasen handed Bob the ladle. "Stir."

As Bob tended to the stew Damasen checked Percy's condition.

"Definitely the work of Gorgon's blood, but it not just the poison killing him," Damasen said. "The Mark of Achilles is also draining his energy. It's a miracle the two combine hasn't killed him yet."

My heart sank. "I-is there anything you can do?"

"Of course," Damasen replied.

Damasen peruse his drying racks, plucking various leaves and roots. He popped a fistful of plant material in his mouth, chewed it up, then spat it out. Then he mix it with other plant life he had.

"Cup of broth," Damasen ordered.

Bob ladled some stew juice into a hollow gourd and handed it to Damasen. The giant dunk the chew up gunk ball and stirred it with his finger.

"This should cure the poison and regain the strength he lost," Damasen said. "I must admit, this is the first time I dealt with someone who bathed in the River Styx and survived."

He lumbered to the bedside and propped up Percy with one hand and made him sip the broth. Damasen handled him with surprising gentleness, murmuring words of encouragement that I couldn't quite catch.

With each sip Percy's color improved. He drained the cup and before I know it he was lightly snoring, indicating he was a sleep."

"He should be good as new after a good night rest," Damasen said.

I sobbed with relief.

"Thank you," I said.

Damasen stared at me mournfully. "Oh, don't thank me yet. Even with the invulnerability you and your boyfriend are doomed. And I require payment for my services."

Gyges and Cottus rolled their eyes as their expressions turned to one of someone who just heard a joke they heard of before.

My mouth went dry. "Uh… what sort of payment?"

"A story." The giant's eyes glittered. "It gets boring in Tartarus. You can tell me your story while we eat, eh?"

…

Well, I get the joke. Apparently Damasen loves stories and he was a good host in returned. Not to mention his drakon-meat stew was excellent. To top that off, I started to get a good sense of trust to the giant that I haven't felt about a former enemy since Bob came to to our aid during the Battle of Manhattan.

I told Damasen about my life and my adventures with Percy since we were seven—traveling with Thalia and Luke. I explained about our encounter with the third hundred handed one Briares and after Percy and his brother Tyson gave him a new purpose Briares adopted the two as his brothers.

I also explained how Percy met Bob, wiped his memory in the River Lethe, and how Bob helped us in the Battle of Manhattan after he couldn't return to the Palace of Hades at the time after betraying Hades and Persephone to help Nico break Percy free.

"None of us really trusted Bob at first, to be honest. But after he saved our lives and stood up against Kronos, there was no question where his loyalty was," I said.

"I'm happy I gain the trust of Percy's friends," Bob said as he clean a bowl.

Damasen made a rolling gesture with his spoon. "Continue your story, Annabeth chase."

I explained about a quest in the _Argo II_ and how the prophecy of seven was connected to a prediction Percy once got about seven greatest demigods of our generation. When I got to the part about Gaea waking, I faltered. "She's your mom, right? Like Gyges Cottus and Bob?"

Damasen scraped his bowl. His face was covered with old poison burns, gouges, and scar issue, so it looked like the surface of an asteroid.

"Yes," he said, "However, I would be what you call those three's half-brother since their father was Oranus and mine is Tartarus." He gestured around the hut. "As you can see, I was a disappointment to my parents."

"We were disappointments to Oranus too," Gyges stated. "He locked us up before Kronos did."

"Yeah, but at least our old man didn't assign a terrible monster to be our jailer like Kronos did," Cottus said.

Bob winced as if it brought back bad memories. "I helped Kronos destroy Oranus, didn't I?"

I didn't know how to reply.

"It's okay, Bob. If you didn't we wouldn't have a taste of freedom before Kronos locked us up again," Gyges said. "And we wouldn't be here if we didn't forgive you."

Bob smiled hearing it.

"Yes, well—" Damasen said, "Both of my parents disapproved me. They expected… _more_ from me."

I couldn't quite wrap my mind around the fact that I was sharing soup with a twenty-foot-tall lizard-legged man whose parents were Earth and the Pit of Darkness.

Olympian gods were hard enough to imagine as parents, but at least they resembled humans. The old primordial gods like Gaea and Tartarus… How could you leave home and ever be independent of your parents, when they literally encompassed the entire world? And Percy and I might have to deal with Tartarus before we get out of here.

"Tartarus knows you're here," Damasen said as if reading my mind. "All that you see is the body of Tartarus, or at least one manifestation of it. Nothing comes and goes from here without his knowledge. He most likely been trying to thwart your progress at each step. My brethren hunt you. It is remarkable you have lived this long, even with the help of Iapetus and two of the Hundred handed ones."

Bob scowled when he heard his name. "I prefer to Bob now. Its the name of a titan who is welcomed at Olympus."

"Very well, Bob," Damasen said. "As for my brethren. I can obscure your path for a while, long enough for you to rest and your boyfriend to recover. I have power in this swamp. But eventually, they will catch you."

"My friend must reach the Doors of death," Bob said. "That is the way out."

"Impossible," Damasen muttered. "The Doors are too well guarded."

I sat forward. "But you know where they are?"

"Of course. All of Tartarus flows down to one place: his heart. The Doors of Death are there. But you cannot make it there alive even with Bob and the hundred handed ones. You'll be out numbered."

"Then come with us," I said. "Help us."

"HA!"

I jumped. In the bed Percy muttered something in his sleep.

"Child of Athena," the giant said, "I am not your friend. I helped mortals once, and you see where it got me. I was born to oppose a certain god, like my brothers."

"Born to oppose Ares," Percy muttered in his sleep. "Born peaceful for a giant."

"Your friend is right," Damasen said. "I wandered the fields of Maeonia, in the land you now call Turkey. I tended to my sheep and collected my herbs. It was a good life. But I would not fight the gods. My mother and father cursed me for that. The final insult: One day the Maeonian drakon killed a human shepherd, a friend of mine, so I hunted the creature down and slew it, thrusting a tree through its mouth. I use the power of the earth to regrow the roots, planting the drakon firmly in the ground. I made sure it would terrorize mortals no more. That was a deed Gaea could not forgive."

"Because you helped someone?"

"Yes," Damasen looked ashamed. "Gaea opened the earth, and I was consumed, exiled in the belly of my father Tartarus, where all the useless collects—all the bits of creation he does not care for."

"Mother Gaea always did have a temper," Gyges said

"She planned for Dad's punishment but when Kronos imprisoned us, she didn't do a thing to help," Cottus said. "Not to mention Gaea practically disowned us when we didn't help her destroy the Olympus during the first giant war."

"Seriously?" I asked.

"You didn't think Gaea didn't know about us not taking part of the First Giant War, did you?" Gyges asked. "At the time Briares was married to Poseidon's immortal daughter and we were helping out with the forges."

"I wasn't as fortunate to have Olympus' protection from Gaea's wrath," Damasen said. "Only good thing is my parents let me live, tending to my sheep, collecting my herbs, so I might know the uselessness of the life I chose. Every day—or what passes for a day in this lightless place—the Maeonian drakon re-forms and attacks me. Killing it is my endless task since I refuse to kill the foe I was meant to kill."

I gazed around the hut, trying to imagine how many eons Damasen had been exiled here—slaying the drakon, collecting its bones and hide and meat, knowing it would attack again the next day. I could barely imagine surviving a _week_ in Tartarus. Exiling your own son for centuries—that was beyond cruel.

"Break the curse," I blurted out. "Come with us."

Damasen chuckled sourly. "As simple as that. Don't you think I have tried to leave this place?"

"He's like my granddaughter Calypso," Bob muttered. "Only punished by Gaea instead of the Olympians."

"Oh—" I realize what he meant. Since Calypso cursed me, it meant she was still imprisoned on her island unable to leave. If Damasen's situation was similar—

"No matter which direction I travel, I end up here again," Damasen said as if once again knowing what I was thinking. "The swamp is the only thing I know—the only destination I can imagine. No, little demigod. My curse has overtaken me. I have no hope."

"But there has to be away." I couldn't stand the expression on the giant's face. It reminded me of my own father, the few times he'd confessed to me that he still loved Athena. He had looked so sad and defeated, wishing for something he knew was impossible.

Gyges and Cottus expression changed to sadness as if they understand as well.

 _Of course they do. They been waiting for signs of their brother Briares,_ I thought.

"Rest up Annabeth," Cottus said. "Once Percy wakes we'll head to the Death Mist."

"Death Mist?" Damasen scowled at the hundred handed one. "You would take them to _Akhlys_?"

"It is the only way," Bob sad.

"You three will die," Damasen said. "Painfully. In darkness. Akhlys trust no one."

"What choice do we have? It's our best plan," Gyges said. "We were hoping to get there when the day goddess is home."

"Because Day and Night can't stay in Tartarus at the same time," Damasen said. "Clever, I'll admit, but even if by some miracle you succeed, _Akhlys_ still will try to kill them."

"Is there another way?" I asked.

"No," Damasen replied. "Like Gyges said, it's the best plan."

I felt like I was hanging over the pit again, unable to pull myself up, unable to maintain my grip—left with no options. To top that off the way Damasen said our chances to pass the night lady, it sounded like the worst thing that could happen.

"Hand me your backpack," the giant said.

I handed it to him and the giant opened it up and peered at my supplies. "Hmm… you'll need more than this to make your journey. I'll prepare your supplies." Then he turned to me. "Get some sleep. You have a long dangerous journey ahead of you."

I wanted to argue but as soon as Damasen said _sleep,_ my body betrayed me, despite my resolution never to sleep in Tartarus again. My belly was full. The fire made a pleasant crackling sound. The herbs in the air reminded me of the hills around Camp Half-Blood in the summer, when the satyrs and naiads gathered wild plans in the lazy afternoons, and the _Garden of Persephone II_ with its fresh scented flowers carefully tended to by the children of Demeter.

"Maybe a little sleep," I agreed.

Bob scooped me up like a rag doll and set me next to Percy on the giant's bed. Little Bob jumped off Bob's shoulders and curled up next to me as I closed my eyes.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I'm not on break yet because my grandpa is still alive, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.


	40. Annabeth's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XII**

I didn't have a single dream, so when I woke up I had to pinch myself to make sure I actually was asleep.

Then I checked my boyfriend, Percy, who was snoring next to me. He had a bit a drool dribbling down the side of his mouth, and yet none of it made it to my side, like he was subconsciously making sure I don't wake up wet in his drool. However, Small Bob must have not been saved because instead of being between us, he was on the other side of me away from Percy.

I checked Percy's forehead for a fever but didn't feel any sign of one. I couldn't help but sigh with relief. All it seems left is for Percy to wake up.

Then I heard Bob Gyges Cottus and Damasen talking.

"You haven't told them," Damasen said.

"No," Bob admitted, "They're already scared."

"The giant grumbled: "They _should_ be. And if you three cannot guide them past Night?"

Damasen said _Night_ like it was a proper name—an evil name.

"That's why we're hoping she's not when we get there," Cottus said.

"Believe us, we rather deal with Day than Night," Gyges replied.

"But why?" Damasen asked. "What have the demigod have done for you?"

"They got me freedom," Bob replied.

Damasen sighed. "I can understand the Hundred Handed ones, but Bob—Titans and giants are meant to be foes of the gods and their children. Are we not?"

"Then why did you heal Percy?"

Damasen seem to sigh once more. "I have been wondering that myself. Perhaps I found them intriguing. They are resilient to have made it so far. That is admirable. Still, how can we help them any further? It is not our fate."

"Perhaps," Bob said, uncomfortably. "But… do you like our fate?"

"What a question. Does anyone like their fate?"

"No," both Cottus and Gyges replied.

"I like being Bob," Bob murmured. "It wasn't until I started regaining my memories I realize how much better my life is now than it was as Iapetus. As Iapetus, I struck fear, and my children either did the same or became selfish. But now I can see why Titans like Leto, Metis, Hellios, Selene, allied with the gods. True they weren't much better than Kronos, but they weren't as ruthless as we were either. I decided to continue living my new life—the life of peace I could have had if I didn't help my siblings during the first Titan war."

"Huh." There was a shuffling sound, as if Damasen was stuffing a bag.

"Damasen," Bob asked, "do you remember the sun?"

The shuffling stopped and the giant exhale through his nose. "Yes. It was yellow. When it touched the horizon, it turned the sky beautiful colors."

"I miss Briares," Cottus said.

"Same here, and I miss the forges there," Gyges said.

"I miss the stars," Bob admitted, "I would like to say hello to the stars again. See the constellation made for one of my granddaughters."

Damasen paused. "Which granddaughter."

My heart sank as I realize which granddaughter Bob was talking about.

"Zoë, I think," Bob replied. "I never got to know her as Bob though, but I say hi to her constellation every time I see it on Olympus."

Damasen didn't reply but I heard something being thrown to the floor with a thump.

"Bah. This is useless talk," Damasen said. "We cannot—"

In the distance, the Maeonian drakon roared.

Percy sat bolt upright. "What? What—where—what?"

"It's okay, we're at the second rest stop." I took his arm.

When he registered that we were together in a giant's bed with a skeleton can by my side, he looked slightly confused. "But that nose—was that a Drakon?"

Damasen loomed over the bed, and Percy tensed a little.

"There is no time, little mortals," Damasen said, "The drakon is returning. I fear its roar will draw others—my brethren, hunting you. They will be within minutes."

Percy frowned a bit, as if trying to remember something. Then his eyes widened. "You're Damasen. The bane of Ares who protected a mortal from a Drakon instead of helping the other giants take down Olympus."

Damasen couldn't help but smirk a little. "That's right."

"Percy, how do you know that?" I asked.

"It was in Hal's book," Percy replied. "I have to say, I'm surprise you're still defying Gaea. No offense, but after my encounter with Phorcys, I didn't know if there were any other children of Gaea's beside Bob and the Hundred Handed ones that defied her."

"None taken. Mostly because you have a good point," Damasen said. "I'm afraid I'm the last of Gaea's giant children that still defies her. Everyone else has caught up on her revenge scheme. Which is why you must leave. My brethren should be here soon."

My pulse quickened. "What will you tell them when they get here?"

Damasen's mouth twitched. "What is there to tell? Nothing of significance, as long as you are gone."

He tossed me my backpack and Percy a drakon-leather satchel. "Your stuff is still in your bag, but both bogs contain clothes, food, and drinks."

"I got that handle," Percy patted his thermos that was still strapped to his belt—which I had Bob recapped on the way here. "But thanks."

I look toward Bob Cottus and Gygess and saw they were each carrying a bigger bags, although Cottus and Gyges were specially made so their straps go around only a line of their hundred hands.

I remember what Damasen said earlier: _Titans and giants. We are meant to be foes of the gods and their children._

Suddenly I was struck by a thought so sharp and clear, it was like a blade from Athena herself.

"The Prophecy of Seven." I grabbed Damasen's hand, startling the giant. His brow furrowed. His skin was as rough as sandstone.

"You _have_ to come with us," I pleaded. "The prophecy says _foes bear arms to the Doors of Death_. I thought it meant Roman and Greeks, but that's not it—at least, not the full story. The line means for _us down here_ —demigods, a Titan, a giant, and two of the Hundred Handed Ones."

Percy's eyes widened as he realized where I was going. "She's right! We _need_ your help to close the Doors!"

The drakon roared outside, closer this time. Damasen gently pulled his hand away.

"No, children," he murmured. "My curse is here. I cannot escape it."

"But there has to be away," Percy said.

Damasen shook his head. "I cannot leave this swamp. It is the only destination I can picture."

Percy seemed set back as if he heard this before.

But my mind raced. "There _is_ another destination. Look at us!" Remember our faces. Defeat the drakon and end your cycle. When you're ready, come find us. We'll take you to the mortal world with us. You can see the sunlight, Cottus and Gygess can see their brother, and Bob can say hi to Zoë's constellation once more."

The ground shook. My guess is that drakon was close now, stomping through the marsh, blasting trees and moss with its poison spray. Farther away, I heard the voice of the giant Polybotes, urging his followers forward. "THE SEA GOD'S SON! HE IS CLOSE!"

"Great, he caught up." Percy muttered.

Damasen took something from his belt. In his massive hand, the white shard looked like a toothpick; but when he offered me, I realized it was a sword—a blade of drakon bone, honed with deadly edge, with a simple grip of leather.

"One last gift for the child of Athena," rumbled the giant. "A knife alone won't be enough to defend you down here, but with this you'll have the reach and power that can help defend you better. Now, go! Before it's too late."

I wanted to sob. I took the sword, and with Halcyon's knife that kept me alive for ten years, I felt even more safe. As if I was meant to wield both weapons. But I couldn't even make myself say thank you. I knew the giant was meant to fight at our side. That was the answer—but Damasen turned away.

"We must go," Bob urged as his kitten climbed on his shoulder. "Gyges, Cottus, carry them."

Both brothers nodded and picked us up and placed us on their shoulers

The three of them ran for the entrance, Gyges and Cottus carrying us on their shoulders. I didn't look back as we headed to the swamp, but I heard Damasen behind us, shouting his battle cry at the advancing drakon, his voice cracking with despair as he faced his old enemy yet again.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** I'm not on break yet because my grandpa is still alive, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

Sorry about the late short chapter but I been busy today


	41. Piper's POV Part I

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part I**

I'm pretty sure the Mediterranean wasn't supposed to freeze in July.

Two days out to sea from Split, gray clouds swallowed the sky. The waves turned choppy. Cold drizzle sprayed across the deck, forming ice on the rails and ropes.

"It's the scepter," Nico murmured, hefting the ancient staff. "It has to be."

I don't know. Ever since the weather started acting weird I got this feeling that I'm forgetting something—something we were warned about but slipped my mind. But right now something else was also on my mind.

Ever since Jason and Nico had returned from Diocletian's Palace they'd been acting nervous and cagey. Something major and happened there—something Jason wouldn't share with me.

Maybe the scepter was causing this weather change. The black orb on top seemed to leach the color right out of the air. The golden eagles at its base glinted coldly. The scepter could supposedly control the dead, and it _definitely_ gave off bad vibes. Coach Hedge had taken one look at the thing, turned pale, and announced that he was going to his room to console himself with Chuck Norris videos

I suspected that was just a cover-up he created to excuse himself to make Iris-messages back home to his girlfriend Mellie. The coach had been acting very agitated about her lately, even though he wouldn't tell me what was going on.

Anyways, the scepter might be causing the drop of temperature, but I doubt it was causing this freak ice storm. I just wish I remember what I'm forgetting.

"We can't talk up here," Jason decided. "Let's postpone the meeting."

We'd all gathered on the quarterdeck to discuss strategy as they got closer to Epirus. Now it was clearly not a good place to hang out. Wind swept frost across the deck. The sea churned beneath us."

I didn't mind the waves so much. The rocking and pitching reminded me of surfing with my dad off the California coast. But I could tell Hazel wasn't doing well. The poor girl got seasick even in calm waters. She looked like she was trying to swallow a billiard ball.

"Need to—" Hazel gagged and pointed below.

"Yeah, go." Nico gave her a brotherly kiss on her cheek, which I found surprising. He hardly ever made gestures of affection, even to his sister. He seemed to hate physical contact. Kissing Hazel… it was almost like he was saying good-bye.

"I'll walk you down." Frank put his arm around Hazel's waist and helped her to the stairs.

I hoped Hazel would be okay. The last few nights, since that fight with Sciron, we'd had some good talks together. Being the only two girls on board was kind of rough. We'd shared stories, complained about the guys' gross habits, and shed some tears together about Annabeth.

Hazel told me how she uses what she learns from how I charmspeak the giant turtle to help her figure out Mist Manipulation. Too be honest, I never thought the two working in similar ways, but now that I did, I was actually glad I could help Hazel out, even if it was indirectly. I even gave her further advice my half-sister Silena Beauregard gave me in return as well as tell her about the few times I met Bianca since Hazel never met her sister. In return, Hazel promised to coach me in sword fighting since my boyfriend was coaching hers. Sword fighting never been my best skill, but I took up on her offer as it gives me more time with my new friend.

Nico brushed some ice from his hair. He frowned at the scepter of Diocletian. "I should put this thing away. If it's really causing the weather, maybe taking it below deck will help…"

"Sure," Jason agreed.

Nico glanced at Leo and me, as if worried what we might say when he's gone. I felt his defenses going up, like he was curling into a psychological ball, the way he'd gone into a death trance in that bronze jar.

Once he was below, I studied his face, trying to figure out this secret between him and Nico. His eyes were full of concern. What had _happened_ in Croatia?

Leo pulled a screwdriver from his belt. "So much for the big team meeting. Looks like it's just us again."

 _Just us again_.

I remembered a wintry day in Chicago last December, when the three of us had landed in Millennial Park on our first quest.

Leo hadn't changed much since then, except he seemed more comfortable in his role as a child of Hephaestus and the Mechanic of our group. He'd always had too much nervous energy, but now he knew how to use it. His hands were constantly in motion, pulling tools from his belt, working controls, tinkering with his beloved Archimedes spheres. Today he'd removed the one he uses as the main control panel to the ship and shut down Festus the figurehead for maintenance—something about rewiring his processor for a motor control upgrade with the sphere, whatever that means.

As for Jason, he looked thinner, taller, and more carewarn. His hair had gone from close-cropped Roman style to longer and shaggier. The groove Sciron had shot across the left side of his scalp was interesting too—almost like a rebellious streak. His blue eyes were icy blue today and looked older from when we met somehow—full of worry and responsibility.

I knew what my friends whispered about Jason—he was _too_ perfect, to straitlaced. If that had ever been true, it wasn't anymore. He'd been battered on this journey, and not just physically. His hardships hadn't weakened him, but he'd been weathered and softened like leather—as if he were becoming a more comfortable version of himself.

As for me, I could only imagine what Leo and Jason thought when they looked at me. But I definitely didn't feel like the same girl was torn between saving her father and rescuing her friends that I was last winter. I come to accept that my fatal flaw is Personal Loyalty. I still want to search for another way to save those I cared about but I'm working with it.

That first quest Jason Leo and I had to rescue Hera seemed centuries ago. So much had changed in seven months… I wondered how the gods could stand being alive for thousands of years. How much change _they_ have seen? Maybe it wasn't surprising the Olympians seemed a little crazy. If I had lived through three millennia, I would have gone loopy.

I gazed into the cold rain. I'm starting to wish we were back at Camp Half-Blood, where the weather was controlled even in the winter. The images I'd seen in my knife recently… well, they didn't give me much to look forward to.

Jason squeezed my shoulder. "Hey, it'll be fine. We're close to Epirus now. If Nico's directions are right, we should be there in another day or so."

"Yep." Leo tinkered with his sphere, tapping and nudging one of the jewels on the surface. "By tomorrow morning, we'll reach the western coast of Greece. Then another hour inland, and bang—House of Hades! I'm going to get myself a T-shirt!"

"Yay," I muttered.

I wasn't anxious to plunge into the darkness again. I still had nightmares about the nymphaeum and the hypogeum under Rome. Not to mention what I'd seen on the blade Katoptris. Ever since Percy gave me advice on how to control the visions, the visions been a lot more organize but still depressing. I'd seen images similar to what Leo and Hazel described from their dreams—a pale sorceress, in her gold dress, her hands weaving golden light in the air like silk on a loom; a giant wrapped in shadows, marching down a long corridor lined with torches. As he passes each one, the flames died. I saw a huge cavern filled with monsters—Rogue Cyclopes, Earthborns, and strange things surrounding my friends and me, hopelessly outnumbering us.

Then I saw an image Hazel described as Percy and Annabeth laid on ground in front of some kind of entrance, with two humanoids with a hundred hands standing over them. On one of their shoulders was a cute little kitten—at least I thought it was cute before it flashed into a skeletal cat for a second. I don't know if that was good or not, but I didn't want to tell the others in case it ends up being a bad thing, which normally does on Katoptris.

One thing I know for sure though, every time I see those images, a voice in my head kept repeating one line over and over.

"Guys," I said, "I've been thinking about the Prophecy of Seven."

It took a lot to get Leo's attention away from his work, but that did the trick.

"What about it?" he asked. "Like… good stuff, I hoped?"

I readjusted my cornucopia's shoulder strap. Sometimes the horn of plenty seemed so light I forgot about it. Other times it felt like an anvil, as if the river god Achelous was sending out bad thoughts, trying to punish me for taking his horn.

"In Katoptris," I started, "I keep seeing that giant Clytius—the guy who's wrapped in shadows. I know his weakness is fire, but in my visions, he snuffs out flames wherever he goes. Any kind of light just get sucked into his cloud of darkness."

"Sounds like Nico," Leo said. "You think they're related?"

Jason scowled. "Hey, man, cut Nico some slack. So, Piper, what about tis giant? What are you thinking?"

Leo and I exchange quizzical looks. It wasn't like Jason to defend Nico di Angelo. I decided not to comment.

"I keep thinking about fire," I said. "How we expect Leo to beat this giant because he's…"

"Hot?" Leo suggested with a grin.

"Um, more like flammable. Anyway, tat line from the prophecy bothers me: _To storm or fire the world must fall."_

"Yeah, we know all about it," Leo promised. "You're gonna say I'm fire. And Jason here is storm."

"Or Percy," Jason said. "I mean he can create sea storms."

I nodded at both statements as it was true. I see the storm Percy and Jason created together, a combination of wind storm and sea storm and that wasn't something you expect from just one of them.

However, there was more to what I was going to say, but they must know it.

"I think we been reading that last line wrong," I explained. "When it says the world will fall, I don't think it refers to the world as we know it. I think it means the world as the Earth—Gaea. "

Jason's eyes gleamed with sudden interest. "You mean, _to storm or fire Gaea must fall_?"

"Oh…" Leo's grinned even wider. "You know, I like your version a lot better. 'Cause if Gaea falls to me, Mr. Fire, that is absolutely copacetic."

"Or to Percy or me—whoever represents storm." Jason said before he gave me a kiss. "Piper, that's brilliant! If you're right, this is great news. We just have to figure out which of us destroys Gaea."

"Maybe." I felt uneasy about getting their hopes up. "But, see, it's storm _or_ fire…"

I unsheathed Katoptris, focus on the image of the corridor with torches, and set it on the console. Immediately, the blade flickered, showing the dark shape of the giant Clytius moving through the corridor, snuffing out torches.

"I'm worried about Leo and this fight with Clytius," I said. "That line in the prophecy makes it sound like only _one_ of the three of you will succeed. And if the _storm_ _or fire_ part is connected to the third line, _an oath to keep wit a final_ _breath…"_

I didn't finish the thought, but from Jason's and Leo's expression, I saw that they understood. If I was reading the prophecy right, either Leo or Jason or possibly Percy (whoever between Percy and Jason represents storms) would defeat Gaea. But in the end one of them will die.


	42. Piper's POV Part II

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part II**

Leo stared at the dagger. "Okay… so I don't like your idea as much as I thought. You think one of us defeat Gaea, one doesn't face her, and the other dies? Or maybe one of us dies _while_ defeating her? Or—"

"Guys," Jason said. "we'll drive ourselves crazy overthinking it. You know how prophecies are. Heroes always get in trouble trying to thwart them."

"Yeah," Leo muttered. "We'd _hate_ to get in trouble. We've got it so good right now."

"You know what I mean," Jason said. "The _final breath_ line might not be connected to the _storm or fire_ part. And we still don't know whether or not Percy or me would be the storm to defeat Gaea, and for all we know someone else could be fire."

"True. I could always set Coach Hedge on fire," Leo volunteered. "Then _he_ can be fire."

The thought of a blazing satyr screaming, "Die!" as he attacked Gaea was almost enough to make me laugh—almost.

"I hope I'm wrong," I said cautiously. "But the whole quest started with the three of us finding Hera and waking tat giant king Porphyrion. I have a feeling the war will end with us too. For better or worse."

"Hey," Jason said, "personally, I _like_ us."

"Yeah," Leo said, " _Us_ is our favorite people."

I managed a smile. I really did love these guys, just Jason as a boyfriend and Leo as a brother. Either way, I wish I could use my charmspeak on the Fates, describe a happy ending, and force them to make it come true.

Unfortunately, it was hard to imagine a happy ending without all the dark thoughts in my head. I worried that the giant Clytius had been put in our path to eliminate Leo as a threat. If so, that meant Gaea would also try to eliminate Jason. Once she's done with Jason, if she can't get Percy's blood for her plans, she probably will target him next. Without storm or fire, our quest couldn't succeed.

And this wintry weather bothered me too. I was certain now that Diocletian's scepter didn't cause it, and that whatever it was, it was the thing I feel like I'm forgetting. The cold wind, the mix of ice and rain seemed actively hostile, and somehow familiar.

That smell in the air, the thick smell of impending snow.

My eyes widened as I realized what I was forgetting. I feel stupid for forgetting it since Leo had forewarned us that _she_ of all goddesses weren't affected by the war between the Greeks and Romans.

Every muscle in my body tensed. "Leo, sound the alarm."

I didn't realize I was charmspeaking, but Leo immediately dropped his screwdriver and punched the alarm button. He frowned when nothing happened.

"Uh, it's disconnected," he remembered. "Festus is shut down. Gimme a minute to get the system back online."

"We don't have minutes! She's already here," I responded.

Just as I said that, the boat listed to port. The temperature dropped so fast, the sails crackled with ice. The bronze shields along the rails popped like over-pressurized soda cans.

Jason drew his sword, but it was too late. A wave of ice particles swept over him, coating him like a glazed donut and freezing him in place. Under a layer of ice, his eyes were wide with amazement.

"Leo! Flames! Now!" I yelled.

Leo's right hand blazed, but the wind swirled around him and doused the fire. Leo clutched his Archimedes sphere as a funnel cloud of sleet lifted him off his feet.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Hey! Let me go!"

I ran toward him, but the voice in the storm said, "Oh, yes, Leo Valdez. I will let you go _permanently_."

Leo shot skyward, like he'd been launched from a catapult. He disappeared into the clouds.

"No!" I picked up my knife and raised it, ready to attack. I looked desperately at the stairwell, hoping to see my friends charging to the rescue, but a black of ice had sealed the hatch. The whole lower deck might have been frozen solid.

I needed a better weapon to fight with—something more than my voice, a fortune-telling dagger, and a cornucopia that shot ham and fresh fruit.

I wondered whether I could make it to the ballista.

That's when my enemies appeared, and I knew a ballista won't be enough.

Standing amidships was a girl in a flowing dress of white silk, her main of black hair pinned back with a circlet of diamonds. Er eyes were the color of coffee, but without the warmth.

Behind her stood her brothers—two young men with purple-feathered wings, stark white hair, and jagged swords of Celestial bronze.

"So good to see you again, _ma chère_ ," said Khione, the goddess of snow. "It's time we had a very cold reunion."


	43. Piper's POV Part III

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part III**

Out of all the things my cornucopia could have shot out in my distress, it decided to shoot out blueberry muffins. Maybe it thought my visitors and I could use some warm baked goods.

Either way, the steamy muffins flew from the horn of plenty like a buckshot. It wasn't the most effective opening attack

Khione simply leaned to one side. Most of the muffins sailed past her over the rail. Her brothers, the Boreads, each caught one and began to eat.

"Muffins," said the bigger one. Cal, I remembered: short for _Calais_. He was dressed exactly as he had been in Quebec—in cleats, sweatpants, and a red hockey jersey—and had two black eyes and several broken teeth. "Muffins are good."

"Ah, _merci_ ," said the scrawny brother—Zethes, I recalled—who stood on the catapult platform, his purple wings spread. His white hair was still feathered in a horrible Disco Age mullet. The collar of his silk shirt stuck out over his breastplate. His chartreuse polyester pants were grotesquely tight, and his acne had gotten worse. Despite that, he wriggled his eyebrows and smiled like he was the demigod of pickup artists.

"I knew the pretty girl would miss me." He spoke Québécois French, which I translated effortlessly. Thanks to my mom, Aphrodite, the language of love was hardwired into me, though I didn't want to speak it with Zethes.

I put on my best charmspeak: "Let my friends go."

Zethes binked. "We should let your friends go."

"Yes," Cal agreed.

"No, you idiots!" Khione snapped. "She is charmspeaking. Use your wits."

"Wits…" Cal frowned as if he wasn't sure what wits were. "Muffins are better."

He stuffed the whole thing in his mouth and began to chew.

Zethes picked a blueberry off the top of his and nibbled it delicately. "Ah, my beautiful Pipe… so long I have waited to see you again. Sadly, my sister is right. We cannot let your friends go. In fact, we must take them to Quebec, where they shall be laughed at eternally. I am so sorry, but these are our orders."

This didn't seem right? Sure Khione swore her revenge to us at the Wolf House in Sonoma last winter. But Zethes and Cal has nothing against us. Why are they really here?

"Guys, listen," I said, "Your sister disobeyed Boreas. She's working with the giants, trying to raise Gaea. She's planning to take over your father's throne."

Khione laughed, soft and cold like snow. "Dear Piper McLean. You would manipulate my weak-willed brothers with your charms, like a true daughter of the love goddess. Such a skillful liar."

"You're calling me a liar!" I cried. "You convince Zeus to lock up Olympus and Aelolus to send that decree to kill all demigods for Gaea. You even tried to kill us at the Wolf House in order to start a war between Greeks and Romans. Zethes, she's working for Gaea!"

Zethes winced. "Alas, beautiful girl. We all are working for Gaea now. I fear these orders are from our father, Boreas himself."

"What?" I couldn't believe it. But Khione's smug smile told me it was true.

"At last my father saw the wisdom of my counsel," Khione purred. "or at least he _did_ before his Roman side began warring with his Greek side. I fear he is quite incapacitated now, but he left me in charge."

"Most likely because you're immune to the war," I responded. "Triton of Atlantis told us you were immune."

Khione snarled. "That Atlantian Prince should mind his own business. But it doesn't matter. Our father has ordered that the forces of the North Wind be used in service of King Porphyrion, and of course... the Earth mother. And thanks to her, our powers grow. The rules of nature are turned upside down. Once the Earth Mother wakes, we shall remake the world as we choose!"

"With hockey," Cal said, his mouth still full. "And pizza. And muffins."

"Yes, yes," Khione sneered. "I had to promise a few things to the big simpleton. And to Zethes—"

"Oh, my needs are simple." Zethes slicked back his hair and winked at me. "I should have kept you at our palace when we first met, my dear Piper. But soon we will go there again, together, and I shall romance you most incredibly."

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said as I poured in all my powers into my next words. "Now, _let Jason go."_

Zethes obeyed and snapped his fingers. Jason instantly defrosted. He crumbled to the floor, gasping and steaming; but at least he was alive.

"You imbecile!" Khione thrust her hand, and Jason refroze, now flat on the deck like a bearskin rug. She wheeled on Zethes. "If you wish the girl as your prize, you must prove you can control her. Not the other way around!"

"Yes, of course." Zethes looked chagrined.

"As for Jason Grace…" Khione's cold brown eyes gleamed. "He and the rest of your friends will join our court of ice statues in Quebec. Jason will _grace_ my throne room."

"Clever," I muttered. "Did it take you all day to think up that line?"

At least I know Jason was alive, which meant the others down below were alive and the deep freeze could be reversed. I just needed a plan to free them.

Unfortunately, I wasn't Annabeth. I wasn't so good at devising plans on the fly. I needed time to think.

"What about Leo?" I blurted. "Where did you send him?"

The snow goddess stepped lightly around Jason, examining him as if he were sidewalk art.

"Leo Valdez deserved a special punishment," she said. "I sent him to a place which he can never return."

"Unless the girl there allows it," Zethes muttered.

"Girl?" I asked. "Who is she? Another ally of yours?"

"Not really," Zethes said. "Calypso hasn't decided yet."

"Idiot! Don't tell her that!" Khione yeled. "She will join if she wants to get back at the Olympians for breaking their oath to free her or die by Gaea's hands."

My mind started racing. I recognized the name Calypso—the immortal girl imprisoned on an island. I heard of it back in Camp, including how Percy visited there once and made the Olympians swear to free her on the River Styx.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up my dear Piper," Khione said. "Calypso won't admit it, but she has a certain _taste_ in heroes, and Leo doesn't match it. It's for the best he's send there with is power over fire." Khione shook her head. "He could not be allowed to reach the House of Hades. I'm afraid Lord Clytius likes fire even less than I do."

 _Fire,_ I thought while gripping my dagger. _Thanks for reminding me._

I scanned the deck for anything that could produce fire. There was a box of Greek fire vials secured by the forward ballista, but that was too far way, and Khione would freeze me before I get to it. Besides, Greek fire will burn the ship and my friends as well. There had to be another way. My eyes strayed to the prow.

Oh.

Festus the figurehead could blow some serious flames. Unfortunately, Leo had switched him off and I had no idea how to reactivate him. I would never have time to figure out the right controls at the ship's console. I remember Leo tinkering around inside the dragon's bronze skull, mumbling about a control disk but even if I could make it to the prow, I would have no idea what I was doing.

Still, some instinct told me Festus was my best chance, if only I could figure out ow to convince my captors to let me get close enough…

"Well!" Khione interrupted my thoughts. "I fear our time together is at a close. Zethes, if you would—"

"Wait!" I called out.

It was a simple command, but it worked. The Boreads and Khione frowned at me, waiting.

I remember Silena's lessons on charmspeaking.

 _First signal out those you can charmspeak and those you can't_ , I thought, _Namely those who are attracted to you and those who are not._

Well, that was obvious. The Boreads I could charmspeak, but Khione wasn't

 _If the leader of the group isn't affected, get the others to lean toward you in a way that the leader had no other choice._

That would be tricky, but maybe I can think of something. Maybe delay them until I can find a way.

"You're afraid of my friends," I finally said. "So why not just kill them?"

Khione laughed. "You are not a god, or you would understand. Death is so short, so… unsatisfying. Your puny mortal souls flit off to the Underworld, and what happens then? The _best_ I can hope is that you go to the Fields of Punishment or Asphodel, but you demigods are insufferably noble. More likely you will go to Elysuium—or get reborn in a new life. Why would I want to reward your friends that way? Why… when I can punish them eternally?"

"And me?" I asked. "Why am I still alive and unfrozen?"

Khione glanced at her brothers with annoyance. "Zethes has claimed you, for one thing."

"I kiss magnificently," Zethes promised. "You will see, beautiful one."

The idea made my stomach churn.

"But that is not the only reason," Khione said. "It is because I _hate_ you, Piper. Deeply and truly. Without you, Jason would have stayed with me in Quebec."

"Delusional, much?"

Khione's eyes turned as hard as the diamonds in her circlet. "You are a meddler, the daughter of a useless goddess. What can you do alone? Nothing. Of all the seven demigods, you have no real purpose, no power. I wish you to stay on this ship, adrift and helpless, while Gaea rise and ends the world you know it. And just to be sure you are well out of the way…"

She gestured to Zethes, who plucked something from the air—a frozen sphere the size of a softball, covered in icy spikes.

"A bomb," Zethes explained, "especially for you, my love."

"Bombs!" Cal laughed. "A good day! Bombs and muffins!"

"This will not kill you," Zethes continued. "Well… I am _fairly_ sure of this. But when the fragile container cracks, in… ah, roughly not very long… it will unleash the full force of the northern winds. This ship will be blown very far off course. Very, very far."

"Indeed." Khione's voice prickled with false sympathy. "We will take your friends for our statue collection, then unleash the winds and bid you good-bye! You can watch the end of the world from… well, the end of the world! Perhaps you can charmspeak the fish, and feed yourself with your silly cornucopia. You can pace the deck of this empty ship and watch our victory in the blade of your dagger. When Gaea has arisen and the world you knew is dead, _then_ Zethes can come back and retrieve you for is bride. What will you do to stop us, Piper? A hero? Ha! You're a joke!"

Khione's words stung like sleet, and I still had no idea how to charmspeak Zethes and Cal to sway Khione my way.

But then I remembered one last thing my half-sister told me before I left on this quest.

 _Remember, Piper. Women who underestimate children of Aphrodite, who look down on us, are often the ones who feared and envied. Gaea's forces might try to berate you just for that reason._

Maybe I can use that, I thought.

I managed to laugh. It was forced, but the more I tried the easier it was. Soon I was doubled over giggling and snorting.

Calais joined in, until Zethes elbowed him.

Khione's smile wavered. "What? What is so funny? I have doomed you!"

"Doomed me!" I laughed again. "Oh, gods… sorry." I took a shaky breath and tried to stop giggling. "Oh, boy… okay. You really think I'm powerless? You _really_ think I'm useless? Gods of Olympus, your brain must have freezer burn. You don't know my secret, do you?"

Khione's eyes narrowed.

"You have no secret," she said. "You are lying."

"Okay, whatever," I said. "Yeah, go ahead and take my friends. Leave me here… _useless_." I snorted. "Yeah. Gaea will be _really_ pleased with you."

Snow swirled around the goddess. But my focus was on the Boreads, who were glancing at each other nervously.

"Sister," Zethes said, "if she really has some secret—"

"Pizza?" Cal speculated. "Hockey?"

"—then we must know," Zethes said.

My plan was working. Khione may of not buy it, but I got her brother's attention.

 _Go ahead,_ I dared Khione. _Call my bluff._

"What secret?" Khione demanded. "Reveal it to us!"

I shrugged, keeping down an urge to grin. "Suit yourself." I pointed casually toward the prow. "Follow me, ice people."


	44. Piper's POV Part IV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Piper's POV Part IV**

I pushed between the Boreads, which was like walking through a meat freezer. The air around them was so cold, it burned my face. I felt like I was breathing pure snow.

I tried not to look down at Jason's frozen body as I passed. I tried not to think about my friends down below who are most likely frozen since Nico and Hazel hasn't showed up with their shadow traveling ability or Frank didn't burst through in his animal form. I tried not to think of how Leo was shot into the sky to Calypso's island. I _definitely_ tried not to think about the Boreads and the snow goddess who was following me.

I fixed my eyes on the figurehead.

The ship rocked under my feet. A single gust of summer air made it through the chill, and I breathed it in, taking it as a good omen. It was still summer out there. Khione and her brothers did _not_ belong here.

I knew I couldn't win a straight fight against Khione and two winged guys with swords. I wasn't as clever as Annabeth, or as good at problem solving as Leo. But I _did_ have power and I do have a purpose on this quest. And I intended to use my power and show Khione off that she's wrong.

Thanks to my training with Hazel, I gotten better with Charmspeaking than I did when I left Camp Half-Blood. Mostly because at Camp Half-Blood I didn't have time to test it to push someone to do what they want to. But with Hazel's help I manage to do that without exerting too much emotions. I wouldn't say I perfected it, but now that I think about it, maybe I can still use it difference.

I stopped at the foremast and faced Khione. "Wow, I just realized why you hate us so much," I said, filling my voice with pity. "We humiliate you pretty badly in Sonoma."

Khione's eyes glinted like iced espresso. She shot an uneasy look at her brothers.

I laughed. "Oh, you didn't tell them!" I guessed. "I don't blame you. You had a giant king on your side, plus an army of wolves and Earthborn, and you still couldn't beat us."

"Silence!" the goddess hissed.

The air turned misty as frost gathered on my eye brows and my ear canals froze, but I feigned a smile.

"Whatever." I winked at Zethus. "But it _was_ pretty funny."

"The beautiful girl must be lying," Zetes said. "Khione was not _beaten_ at the Wolf House. She said it was a… ah, what is the term? A tactical retreat."

"Treats?" Cal asked. "Treats are good."

I pushed the big guy's chest playfully. "No, Cal. He means your sister ran away."

"I did not!" Khione shrieked.

"What did Hera call you?" I mused. "Right—a D-list goddess!"

I burst out laughing again, and my amusement was so genuine, Zethes and Cal started laughing too.

"That is _très bon_!" Zethes said. A D-list goddess. Ha!"

"Ha!" Cal said. "Sister ran away! Ha!"

Khione's white dress began to steam. Ice formed over Zethes' and Cal's your mouths, plugging them up.

"Show us this secret of yours, Piper McLean," Khione growled. "Then _pray_ I leave you on this ship intact. If you are toying with us, I will show you the horrors of frostbite. I doubt Zethes will want you if you have no fingers or toes… perhaps no nose or ears."

Zethes and Cal spat the ice plugs out of their mouths.

"The pretty girl would look less pretty without a nose," Zethes admitted.

I have to agree with Zethes there. I had seen pictures of frostbite victims, and it wasn't pretty for anyone.

"Come on, then." I led the way to the prow, humming one of my dad's favorite songs—"Summertime."

When I got to the figurehead, I put my hand on Festus' neck. His bronze scales were cold. There was no hum of machinery. His ruby eyes were dull and dark. All the indications that he wasn't on.

"You remember our dragon?" I asked.

Khione scoffed. "This cannot be your secret. The dragon is broken. Its fire is gone."

I stroke the dragon's snout. I may of not have Leo's power to make gears turn or circuits spark or sense anything about the working of a machine. But I can do is try to speak my heart and tell the dragon what he _most_ wanted to ear. "But Festus is more than a machine. He's a living creature."

"Ridiculous," the goddess spat. "Zethes, Cal—gather the frozen demigods from below. Then we shall break open the sphere of winds."

"You could do that, boys," I agreed. "But then you wouldn't see Khione humiliated. I know you'd like that."

The Boreads hesitated.

"Hockey?" Cal asked.

"Almost as good," I promised. "You fought at the side of the original Jason and the Argonauts, didn't you? On a ship like this, the first _Argo_."

"Yes," Zethes agreed. "The _Argo_. Much like this, but we did not have a dragon."

"Don't listen to her!" Khione snapped with adred in her eyes. "Nice try Piper, but there's no secret power here. You have no power. Because you're a daughter of a useless goddess!"

"If my mom was so useless, then how come she's an Olympian while you are a D-list goddess?" I asked.

I turned to Festus and ran my hand behind his metal ears. "You're a good friend, Festus. No one can truly deactivate you. You're more than a machine. Khione doesn't understand that because she doesn't value you."

I put as much confidence and sweetness into my voice and sure enough Festus' bronze hide started warming up, as if something inside turned on.

Then I turned to the Boreads. "Khione doesn't value you, either, you know. She thinks she can boss you around because you're demigods, not full-fledge gods. She doesn't understand that you can be as powerful if not more powerful than her. After all Dionysus himself was a demigod at one time, and he's now an Olympians. You can show her you can be a powerful team yourselves—that she should fear you."

"A team," Cal grunted. "Like the Ca-na-di-ens."

He had to struggle with the word since it was more than two syllables. He grinned and looked very pleased with himself.

"Exactly," I said. "Just like a hockey team. The whole is greater than the parts."

"Like a pizza," Cal added.

I laughed. "You _are_ smart, Cal! Even I underestimated you."

"Wait, now," Zethes protested. "I'm smart too. And good looking."

"Very smart," I agreed, ignoring the _good looking_ part. "So put down the wind bomb and watch Khione get humiliated. You can help if you want, just to show Khione she can't boss you around anymore."

Zethes and Cal grinned. Zethes crouched and rolled the ice sphere across the deck. Then both raised their swords against their sister.

"You fools!" Khione yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

"It's my secret weapon, Khione," I said. "The team work of demigods, immortal demigods, and our dragon. Festus isn't only a collection of parts. He's _alive_. He's _my friend_. And when his friends are in trouble, especially Leo, he can wake up _on his own and defeat you_.

I willed all my confidence into my voice—all my love for the metal dragon and everything he'd done for us. I also believed in Aphrodite's powers over emotions, the power as the oldest and most primordial of the Olympians, born from the blood of Ouranos churning in the sea.

For a terrible moment, nothing happened but then Festus' metal skin grew so warm under my hand that I couldn't touch it anymore.

"Zethes! Cal! Move out of the way!" I yelled as I dove. The two Boreads did the same as Festus turned his head one hundred degrees and blasted fire at Khione. Khione dodge the flames.

The boreads were confused and I used the moment to go for the sphere of winds. However, before I could, Khione materialized in front of me in a swirl of frost. Her skin glowed bright enough to cause snow blindness.

"You _miserable_ girl," she hissed. "You think you can trick my idiot brothers into defeating _me_?"

At my back, Festus roared and blew steam, but I knew he couldn't breathe fire again without hitting me too.

About twenty feet behind the goddess, the ice sphere began to crack and hiss.

I was out of time for subtlety. I yelled and raised my dagger, charging at the goddess.

Khione grabbed my wrist. Ice spread over my arm. The blade of Katoptris turned white.

The goddess' face was only six inches from mine. Khione smiled, knowing she had won.

"A child of Aphrodite," she chided. "You are _nothing_."

Festus creaked again. I could swear he was trying to shout encouragement. Zethes and Cal were coming to the sides, waiting to strike.

Suddenly, my chest grew warm—not with anger or fear, but with love for that dragon, for the Boreads—who I now saw as my friends—who were still willing to risk everything to help; and Jason, who was depending on me; and my friends trapped below; and Leo, who needs my help.

Maybe love was no match for ice… but I had used it to wake a metal dragon. Mortals did superhuman feats in the name of love all the time. Mothers lifted cars to save their children. And I was more than just mortal. I was a demigod. One of the seven greatest heroes of all time.

The ice melted on my blade. My arm steamed under Khione's grip.

"Still underestimating me," I told the goddess. "You really need to work on that."

Khione's chest, and the goddess exploded in a miniature blizzard. I collapsed, dazed from the cold. At least that was the case until Zethes snapped his fingers and the coldness left me.

"Thank you," I told him.

"We should thank you, beautiful girl," Zethes said. "Cal and I no longer fear our sister thanks to you."

"Fear no more!" Cal agreed.

I was speechless to say, but after a minute I manage, "Zethes…"

"You don't have to come with me now," Zethes said. "You can decide after the quest. But for now, I'll leave you my sword as thanks to what you did for my brother and me and with advice. After we leave seek the southern wind in Africa. As much as Cal and I hate him, he might be able to help you reach the House of Hades."

With that Zethes dropped his sword on the deck and he and his brother disappeared in a swirl of icy wind. When they did, the ice on the ship melted almost instantly

I picked up the jagged sword. Normally I would be against this, but I decided to keep it at least as a gift from a friend. But why did Zethes told me to seek the southern wind in Africa? That was way off course.

I got my answer from hearing Festus clacking and whirring, the reactivated alarm bells ringing.

 _The bomb._

I struggle to rise but it was too late. The bomb's ice shell shattered and the northern winds exploded.

* * *

 **A/N:** Nice twist, right? I hope you enjoy and realized that now all seven demigods of the Prophecy of Seven had a turn at having a POV in the story now. But it's not over yet. Thirty-two chapters are still left.

Well, this is the fourth chapter of the day, so I'm calling it quits for the night to let my hands rest.


	45. Percy's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part IX**

I felt homesick for the swamp.

I never thought I miss sleeping in a giant size leather bed in a drakon-bone hut in a festering cesspool, but right now that sounded like Elysium.

The hundred handed ones carried us until we were out of the swamp and in safe distance from our foes before letting us down.

Now we were stumbling in the darkness following Bob. The air was thick and cold, the ground alternating patches of pointy rocks and pools of muck. The terrain seemed to be designed so I could never let my guard down. Even walking ten feet was exhausting.

When we left Damasen's hut, I felt strong, my head was clear, and my belly was full of drakon jerky from our packs of provision which made the food we brought with us from Hermes' temple last us longer. But now that we started walking, my legs grew sore and every muscle ached.

I focused narrowed to the ground in front of me. Nothing existed except for that Annabeth at my side.

I accepted the dark thoughts that ran through my mind, but whenever it almost overwhelms me, I reach over and took Annabeth's hand, just to remember the warmth in the world.

I'll admit, I wasn't certain of the idea of going to Damasen at first, but after meeting him, after seeing the sad lost-of-hope look in his eyes, I couldn't help but sympathize with him. He reminded me of Hal when I first met him that I wanted to help Damasen get out of here.

I wondered what had happened after we left Damasen's hut. I hadn't heard our pursuers in hours, but I could sense their hatred… especially Polybotes'. That giant was back there somewhere, following, pushing us deeper into Tartarus.

I tried to think of good things to keep my spirits up—the lake at Camp Half-Blood, the time I'd kissed Annabeth underwater. I tried to imagine the two of us at New Rome together, walking through the hills and holding hands. But Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood both seemed like dreams while being down here.

So I focus on the people that I know is real: My mom and step-dad Paul back in Manhattan. Thalia who was Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, and the good memories I had of Luke. My brother Tyson and the Third Hundred Handed one who saw me as a brother: Briares. My hellound Mrs. O'Leary and Pegasus Blackjack. My dad, Poseidon, and my teacher at camp Chiron. Even Reyna and Hylla who accepted me as their brother. Even though they seem like a dream, I know they are real because they're part of my family.

"We're close," Bob said.

"Close?" I asked.

"Yeah, can't you feel it?" Cottus asked.

Now that he mentions it, the air did seem colder, and now that I wasn't focus on the bright side of things, I felt like I lost focus on what I was thinking about earlier—as if the darkness was trying to pull me away from it.

Annabeth laced her fingers through mine. In the light of my bronze sword and her bronze knife, her face was beautiful.

"We'll get through this," Annabeth said.

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Piece of cake."

"But next time," she said. "I want to go somewhere different on a date. I'll even take Montauk over this."

My smile grew at the thought. I almost forgot about my plans for our one year anniversary.

"We could also see if Hermes can arrange something too," I suggested, "He did a good job arranging our date in Paris."

Annabeth smiled. On our one-month anniversary, months before Juno took my memories and kidnapped me, we ended up doing a small quest for Hermes that involved a fire breathing son of Hephaestus: Cacus. In return of completing the quest, Hermes repaid us by sending Annabeth and me to Paris where we had a one-night dinner. Although it seemed a life time ago, the thought of it helped me refocus on the bright side.

"I'd settle for New Rome too," Annabeth offered. "As long as you're there with me."

"Sounds good," I agreed.

Then the darkness dispersed with a massive sigh, like the last breath of a dying god. In front of us was a clearing—a barren field of dust and stones. In the center, about twenty yards away, knelt the gruesome figure of a woman, her clothes tattered, her limbs emaciated, her skin leathery green. Her head was bent as she sobbed quietly, and the sound shattered all my hopes.

I realized that life was pointless. My struggles were nothing. This woman cried as if mourning the death of the entire world.

Then Gyges gave Annabeth and me a ten hand pat on the back. "Welcome to Akhlys' zone of Tartarus you two."


	46. Percy's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part X**

I don't know how a sobbing ghoul would help us, but it's hard to argue against a Titan and Two of the Hundred-Handed Ones.

Those three trudged forward like they know what they're doing. So Annabeth and I followed.

I guess the key is to accept misery just as we had to accept darkness. Besides, this area was less dark—not exactly light, but with more of a soupy white fog.

"Akhlys!" Bob called.

The creature raised her head, and my stomach screamed, _Help me!_

Her body was bad enough. She looked like the victim of a famine—limbs like stocks, swollen knees and knobby elbows, rags for clothes, broken fingernails and toenails. Dust was caked on her skin and piled on her shoulders as if she'd taken a shower at the bottom of an hourglass.

Her face was utter desolation. Her eyes were sunken and rheumy, pouring out tears. Her nose dripped like a waterfall. Her stringy gray hair was matted to her skull in greasy tufts, and her cheeks were raked and bleeding as if she'd been clawing at herself.

I couldn't stand to meet her eyes, so I lowered my gaze. Across her knees lay an ancient shield—a battered circle of wood and bronze, painted with the likeness of Akhyls herself holding a shield, so the image seemed to go on forever, smaller, and smaller.

Suddenly my sword Riptide seem to grow heavy, as if it was close to something from its past.

I didn't think Zoë Nightshade had a shield, my mind reeled to another owner of Riptide before me.

"That's Hercules' shield," I muttered.

Annabeth frowned. "I thought that was just a story."

"I don't know, but Riptide is reacting to it," I responded. "So unless Zoë had a shield like that one at one time—"

"It is the shield the Hercules," the old hag wailed as if tuning into our conversation. "He painted me on its surface, so his enemies would see me in their final moments—the goddess of misery." She coughed so hard, it made my chest hurt. "As if Hercules knew true misery. It's not even a good likeness!"

"But what is his shield doing here?" I asked.

The goddess stared at me with her wet milky eyes. Her cheeks dripped blood, making red polka dots on her tattered dress. "He doesn't need it anymore, does he? It came here when his mortal body burned. A reminder, I suppose, that no shield is sufficient. In the end, misery over takes all of you. Even Hercules."

I inched closer to Annabeth. I tried to remember why we were here, but the sense of despair was making it harder for me to think than the darkness. Hearing Akhlys speak, I no longer found it strange that she had clawed her own cheeks. The goddess radiated pure pain.

"Bob, Gyges, Cottus—are you guys sure we should be here?" I asked.

Little Bob—who hid inside Bob's clothes—mewled like it wanted to know the same answer.

The Titan shifted and wince as if Small Bob was clawing his armpit. "Akhlys controls the Death Mist," he insisted. She can hide you."

" _Hide_ them?" Akhlys made a gurgling sound. She was either laughing or choking to death. "Why would I do that?"

"They must reach the Doors of Death," Gyges said. "To return to the mortal world."

"They're on an important quest," Cottus explained.

"Impossible! Akhlys said. "The armies of Tartarus will find you. They will kill you."

Annabeth switched from her knife to her drakon-bone sword—which she had strapped to her back. I admit if she did it to make herself look intimidating, it was working. "So I guess your Death Mist is pretty useless, then," she said.

I quickly caught onto Annabeth's plan. I worked with her for years and I know that Annabeth was trying to size up the goddess to get what we need.

The goddess bared her broken yellow teeth. " _Useless?_ Who are you?"

"A daughter of Athena," Annabeth said with her best voice. "I didn't walk halfway across Tartarus to be told what's impossible by some minor goddess."

The dust quivered at their feet. Fog swirled around us with a sound like agonized wailing.

"Minor goddess?" Akhlys' gnarled fingernails dug into Hercules' shield, gouging the metal. "I was old before the Titans were born, your ignorant girl. I was old when Gaea first woke. Misery is _eternal_. Existence is misery. I was born of the eldest ones—of Chaos and Night. I was—"

"Yeah, yeah, we heard all the stories," I said, "But if you were so powerful, you could hide us with your Death Mist. But if you're saying it's impossible, then you're useless. Perhaps Bob and the hundred handed ones were wrong about you."

Akhlys wailed and glared at our three escorts. "Why did you three inflict these annoying children on me. The Death Mist isn't for _helping_! It shrouds mortals in misery as their souls pass into the Underworld. It is the very breath of Tartarus, of death, of despair!"

"Then you can use it on us," I said.

Akhlys hissed. "Ask me for a more sensible gift. I am also the goddess of poisons. I could give you death—thousands of ways to die less painful than the one you have chosen by marching into the heart of the pit.

"Thanks but no thanks," I responded, "I've had enough poison for one trip. Besides, look on how helping us could benefit you."

The goddess' eyes narrowed. _"Benefit me?"_

"Sure," Annabeth caught on. "If we fail, you get to gloat over our spirits when we die in agony. You'll get to say 'I told you so' for eternity."

"And if we succeed," I continued, "think of all the suffering you'll bring to the monsters down here. We intend to seal the Doors of Death. That's going to cause a lot of wailing and moaning."

Akhlys considered. "I enjoy suffering. Wailing is also good."

"Then it's settle," I said. "Make us invisible."

Akhlys struggled to her feet. The shield of Hercules rolled away and wobbled to a stop in her mist. "It is not so simple," the goddess said. "The Death Mist comes at the moment you are closest to your end. Your eyes will be clouded only then. The world will fade."

My mouth felt dry. "Okay. But… we'll be shrouded from the monsters?"

"Oh, yes," Akhlys said. "If you survive the process, you will be able to pass unnoticed among the armies of Tartarus. It is hopeless, of course, but if you are determined, then come. I will show you the way."

"The way to where, exactly?" Annabeth asked.

The goddess was already shuffling into the gloom.

I turned to look at Bob, but the Titan was gone. Not only that, but Cottus and Gyges were nowhere in sight.

"Hey!" I yelled to Akhlys. "Where's our friend?"

"He cannot take this path," the goddess called back. "Neither of them are mortals. Come, little fools. Come experience the Death Mist."

I guess I shouldn't be surprise by this, but now I was full of concern. Bob Gyges and Cottus guided us for so long I had hope they be here when Annabeth and I experience the Death Mist.

Annabeth grabbed my hand. "Well… how bad can it be?"

The question was so ridiculous I laughed, even though it hurt my lungs. "Yeah. Next date, though—we'll decide between Montauk and New Rome, how about that?"

Annabeth smiled and nodded.

We followed the goddess' dusty footprints deeper into the fog.


	47. Percy's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XI**

I miss Bob and the Hekatonkheires.

I'd gotten used to having those three around guarding us as Bob lit our way through the darkness with his silver hair.

Now our only guide was an emaciated corpse lady with serious self-esteem issues.

As we struggle across the dusty plain, the fog became so thick that I had to resist the urge to swat it away with my hands. The only reason I was able to follow Akhlys path was because plants sprang up wherever she walked. And considering this goddess was also the goddess of poison, I doubt these were the type of plants you would pick to give to your girlfriend.

I gave up trying to figure out what part of Tartarus we were at. I'm not so great with ananomy but when we started traveling down here, I thought the ananomy would be like a human being since most gods take human form. But from what I understand, the heart in a human body would be the chest, and at this point, I doubt we're at the chest. In fact, I think we passed Tartarus' chest long before the _arai_ attacked us.

When the fog dissipated, we found ourselves on a peninsula that jutted out over a pitch-black void.

"Here we are." Akhlys turned and leered at them. Blood from her cheeks dripped on her dress. Her sickly eyes looked moist and swollen but somehow excited. I didn't even think Misery could look excited.

"Uh… great," I asked. "Where is _here_?"

"The verge of final death," Akhlys said. "Where Night meets the void bellow Tartarus."

I felt like I just drank Gorgon's blood once more. "Wait, you mean—down there, in the darkness, is Chaos?" I asked, "The very _first_ god! The father of all creation!"

"Yes," Akhlys said.

"But—" Annabeth tried to gather herself. "I thought there was nothing below Tartarus."

"Oh, certainly there is…" Akhlys coughed. "Even Tartarus ad to rise from somewhere. This is the edge of the earliest darkness, which was my mother. Below lies the realm of Chaos, my father. Here, you are closer to nothingness than any mortal has ever been. Can you not feel it?"

I knew what she meant. The void seemed to be pulling at me, leaching the breath from my lungs and the oxygen from my blood. I looked at Annabeth and saw that her lips were tinge blue.

"We can't stay here," I said.

"No, indeed!" Akhlys said. "Don't you feel the Death Mist? Even now, you pass between. Look!"

White smoke gathered around my feet. As it coiled up my legs, I realized the smoke wasn't surrounding me. It was coming _from_ me. My whole body was dissolving. It was like when I was in the river Styx, except I wasn't in pain. I held up my hands and found they were smoky and hard to see but for some reason I could still see the outline of it. They looked as if they been decaying in a moseleum for weeks.

I turned to Annabeth and stifled a yelp. "You're—uh—"

I couldn't say it. She looked _dead_.

Her skin was sallow, her eye sockets dark and sunken. Her beautiful hair had dried into a skein of cobwebs. She looked like she been stuck in the mosuleum to decay too. When she turned and look at me, her features momentarily blurred into mist.

My blood moved like sap in my veins. Seeing Annabeth, the way she is was painful. I'd rather take another bath in the river of styx than see her this way again.

"Oh, gods," Annabeth sobbed. "Percy, the way you look…"

I studied my arms. All I saw were blobs of white mist, but I guess that I look like a corpse to Annabeth too. I took a few steps. I thought it would be difficult but I felt as if something was still keeping me together.

I turned to Akhlys who was chuckling. "Can we pass un seen now? Can we get to the Doors of Death?"

"Well, perhaps you could," the goddess said, "if you lived that long, which you won't."

Akhlys spread her gnarled fingers. More plants bloomed along the edge toward my feet like a deadly carpet. "The Death Mist is not simply a disguise, you see. It is a state of being. I could not bring you this gift unless death followed—true death."

"It's a trap," Annabeth said.

The goddess cackled. "Didn't you _expect_ me to betray you?"

"Yes," Annabeth and I replied.

"Well, then, it was hardly a trap! More of an inevitability. Misery is inevitable. Pain is—"

"Yeah, yeah," I growled. "Let's get to the fighting."

I drew riptide but the blade was made out of smoke unlike my body. When I slashed at Akhlys, the sword floated across her like a gentle breeze.

The goddess' ruined mouth split into a grin. "Did I forget to mention? You are only mist now—a shadow before death. Perhaps if you had time you could learn to control your new forms. But you do _not_ have time Since you cannot control your new form. But you do _not_ have time. Since you cannot touch me, I fear any fight with Misery will be one sided."

I had no clue what she meant. My body looked solid to me, just not my sword, and I doubt my thermos would have a physical form. Maybe the smoke surrounding me made me look like a misty figure.

I didn't have time to think though as Akhlys fingernails grew into talons. Her jaw unhinged, and her yellow teeth elongated into fangs.


	48. Percy's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XII**

Just when I'm getting tired of the Mark of Achilles, I find myself grateful for it.

Akhlys lunged at me and for a split second I thought either she won't be able to touch me or I'm dead, but neither happed. At least not in a way I planned.

The goddess' claws raked across my chest, and although she probably tore up my T-shirt some more, I wasn't hurt at all.

I stumble backwards but felt okay.

"Impossible! I should still be able to kill you unless—" Akhlys hissed, "You bare that curse of the Styx don't you?"

I didn't replied but I didn't need too.

"That stupid river!" Akhlys hissed. "Even with the Death Mist making you appear dead, it's keeping you invulnerable."

I shrugged as I figured that it must be why I'm visible to me.

Akhlys shrieked and came at Annabeth.

"Annabeth!" I yelled.

Annabeth hit the stop button on my wristwatch—which I have forgotten she still had—and spiraled out my shield and used it to block the goddess.

"Annabeth, how?"

Akhlys lashed out at Annabeth, but she dodge the attack once more.

 _Come on, there must be away to defeat her,_ I thought, _Maybe if I use my own past near death experience against her._

It was only a good guess, but it was something. So I decided to go with it. Fortunately, I had a lot of them.

I came at the goddess from behind with riptide and lashed out. This time I manage to cut her shoulder, causing her to wail.

Akhlys struck again and I dodge as Annabeth struck her hand.

I thought back when I drank gorgon's blood the first time and thought I drank the poison. I struck down Akhlys in the shin, causing the goddess shrieked.

"I will kill you slowly!" The goddess growled, her eyes and nose watery, blood now poured not just from her chin, but from her own injuries. "I will cut you into pieces as a sacrifice to Night."

All around her poisonous plants grew and burst like overfilled balloons. Green-and-white sap trickled out, collecting into pools, and began flowing across the ground toward me. The sweet-smelling fumes made my head feel wobbly.

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice sounded far away. "Uh, hey! Over here!"

But the goddess of misery was now fixated on me. I tried to retreat again, but the poisonous ichor was flowing around me now, making the ground steam and the air burn. I found myself stuck on an island of dust not much bigger than a shield. I had nowhere to go.

I fell to one knee, wishing there was water in Tartarus—some nice pool I could jump into to heal myself, or maybe a river I could control. But right now the only source of water is my thermos. But if I use it, would Akhlys use the poison against Annabeth?

I need a full proof plan that can save us both.

"You will feed the eternal darkness," Akhlys said. "You will die in the arms of Night!"

I was dimly aware of Annabeth shouting, throwing random pieces of drakon jerky at the goddess. The white-green poison kept pooling, like streams trickling from the plans as the venomous lake around me got wider and wider.

Lake, I thought. Streams. Water.

Poison is a liquid, right? That means it must have some water mix into it right?

I remember how I send some of Polybotes poisonous water away from me and Blackjack. At first I thought it was because, hey, it was still water, but maybe it was more than that. Maybe I can control poison through the liquid makeup of it like Polybotes.

It sounds crazy, but then again everything in Tartarus is crazy and right now I got nothing left to lose.

I glared at the poison flood encroaching from all sides. I concentrated so hard that something inside me cracked—as if a crystal ball had shattered in my stomach.

Warmth flowed through me and the poison stopped.

The fumes blew away from me—back toward the goddess. The lake of poison rolled toward her in tiny waves and rivulets.

Akhlys shrieked. "What is that?"

"Poison," I said. "That's your specialty. Now leave before I suffocate you with your own poison!"

"You're bluffing," Akhlys said.

I focus on the poison to enclose her, which it did. Akhlys started choking and coughing. "Okay… you win!" she managed.

I wanted to kill the goddess with her own poison. I want her to regret every kind of suffering she caused.

But then I looked at Annabeth and saw fear in her eyes and something in my mind click. This isn't right. This isn't me.

I released enough poison to create a path of retreat along the edge of the cliff.

For an emaciated ghoul, Akhlys could run pretty fast when she wanted too. She scrambled along the path, fell on her face, and got up again, wailing as she sped into the dark.

As soon as she was gone, the pools of poison evaporated. The plants withered to dust and blew away.

Annabeth stumbled toward me. She still look like a corpse wreathed in smoke, but she felt solid enough to grip my arms. But she had a look of fear. And I don't blame her.

"Percy Jackson, that was the scariest thing I ever seen you do," Annabeth said. "You—you—"

For once Annabeth seemed lost at words to describe it. I kissed her forehead.

"Don't worry, Annabeth. I promise you I won't ever use that power like that again," I told her.

"Good," Annabeth said. "Now we have to get away from this cliff. If Akhlys brought us here as some kind of sacrifice…"

I remembered Akhlys warning to feed us to Night. Ever since I first heard that name Night, I had a sinking feeling that was what I was forgetting earlier. Now Akhlys seem to confirm it and the worse.

"You're right, we have to go," I agree.

Just then the temperature dropped and the abyss before them seemed to exhale.

I grabbed Annabeth and back away from the edge as a presence emerged from the void—a form so vast and shadowy, everything I thought I knew about the dark seemed like a lie.

"Oh, you're not planning to leave now, don't you?" said the darkness in a feminine voice as soft as coffin lining, "Not before I kill you myself."


	49. Leo's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part V**

The way I figured it, I spent more time crashing than I did flying.

If there were a rewards card for frequent crashers, I'd be, like, double-platinum level.

I regained conscious as I was free-falling through the clouds. I had a hazy memory of Khione taunting me right before I got shot into the sky. I didn't really see her, but I could never forget that voice. I had no idea how long I'd been gaining altitude, but at some point I must have passed out from the cold and lack of oxygen. Now I was on my way down, heading for my biggest crash ever.

The clouds parted around me. I saw the glittering sea far, _far_ below. No sign of the _Argo II_. No sign of any coastline, familiar or otherwise, except for one tiny island at the horizon.

I couldn't fly. I had a couple of minutes at most before I hit the water and go _ker-splat_. I was still clutching one of my Archimedes' spheres, which didn't surprise me. Even unconscious, I would never let go of my most valuable possessions.

With a little maneuvering, I managed to pull some duct tape from my tool belt and strap the sphere to my chest. That made me look like a low-budget Iron Man, but at least I had both hands free. I started to work, furiously tinkering with the sphere, pulling out anything I thought would help from my tool belt: a drop cloth, metal extenders, some string and grommets.

Working while falling was almost impossible. The wind roared in my ears. It kept ripping tools, screws and canvases out of my hands, but I finally constructed a makeshift frame. I popped open a hatch on the sphere, teased out two wires, and connect them to my crossbar.

With only what I can guess is a minute before I hit the water, I turned the sphere dial, and it whirred into action. More bronze wires shot from the orb, intuitively sensing what I needed. The cords laced up the canvas drop cloth. The frame began to expand on its own. I pulled out a can of kerosene and a rubber tube and lashed them to the thirsty new engine that the orb was helping me assemble.

Finally, I made myself a rope halter and shifted so that the X-frame was attach to my back. The sea was way closer now—a glittering expanse of slap-you-in-the-face death.

I yelled in defiance and punched the sphere's override switch.

The engine coughed to life. The makeshift rotor turned. The canvas blades spun, but much too slowly. My head was pointing straight down at the sea—maybe thirty seconds to impact.

Then suddenly the orb got warm against my chest. The blades turned faster. The engine coughed and I tilted sideway, slicing through the air.

"YES!" I yelled.

I had successfully created the world's most dangerous personal helicopter.

I shot toward the island in the distance, but I was still falling too fast. The blades shuddered as the canvas screamed.

The beach was only a few hundred yards away when the sphere turned lava-hot and the helicopter exploded, shooting flames in every direction. If I wasn't immune to fire, I would have been charcoal. As it was, the midair explosion actually saved my life. The blast flung me sideways while the bulk of my flaming contraction smashed into the shore at full speed with a massive _KA-BOOM!_

I opened my eyes, amazed to be alive. I was still in a bathtub size crater in the sand. A few yards away, a column of thick black smoke roiled into the sky from a much larger crater. What worried me was that smaller pieces of a burning wreckage peppered the surrounding beach.

"My sphere!" I patted my chest. The sphere wasn't there. My duct tape and rope halter had disintegrated.

I struggled to my feet. None of my bones seemed broken, which was good; but I was worried about my Archimedes sphere. If I'd destroy one of two of my priceless artifacts to make a flaming thirty-second helicopter, I was going to track down that stupid snow goddess Khione and smack her with a monkey wrench.

I staggered across the beach, wondering why there weren't any tourist or hotels or boats in sight. The island seemed perfect for a resort, with blue water and soft white sand. Maybe it was an uncharted island. I didn't even know there was any of those left. Maybe Khione had blasted me out of the Mediterranean altogether. For all I know, I was in Bora Bora.

The larger crater was about eighty feet deep. At the bottom, the helicopter blades were still trying to turn. The engine belched smoke. The rotor croaked like a stepped-on frog, but _dang_ —pretty impressive for a rush job.

Apparently the helicopter had crashed _onto_ something. The crater was littered with broken wooden furniture, shattered china plates some half-melted pewter goblets, and burning linen napkins. I wasn't sure why all that fancy stuff had been on the beach, but at least it meant this place was inhabited after. Although I worried about meeting the owner of whatever my helicopter crashed into. By the looks of it, some of this stuff wasn't cheap, and I don't have the money to repay for anything right now.

 _Worry about the owner later, find Archimedes Sphere now,_ I chided myself.

Okay, I know that sounds wrong now that I think about it, but the thing is: I can always rebuild whatever this wreckage was, but without that sphere I can't use the GPS mode to locate the second Archimedes sphere located on the _Argo II_ and since my friends don't know how to activate the second sphere in my cabin, I don't think they can find me. At least not without accidentally destroying something.

That is of course, if the sphere I had when I was blown off the _Argo II_ was still intact.

Finally, I spotted the Archimedes sphere—steaming and charred but still intact, making unhappy clicking noise in the center of the wreckage.

"Sphere!" I yelled. "Come to Papa!"

I skidded to the bottom of the crater and snatched up the sphere. I collapsed, sat cross-legged, and cradled the device in my hands. The bronze surface was searing hot, but I didn't care. It was still in one piece, which meant I could use it.

Now, I start making a list what I need to do. First, check for any damage to the sphere and see if it needs fixing. Then survey the wreckage and see what it destroyed—and judging from the stuff I can recognize, the list isn't very long.

Maybe the owner isn't here I can get this rebuilt before they do. Maybe I can leave a note: _Sorry about the craters, but hey, I fixed your furniture that was destroyed so I hope we're even._

Of course, the moment I thought that I heard a girl shouting: "What are you doing? You blew up my dining table!"

So much for my plan.

…

I'd met a lot of goddesses, but the girl glaring down at me from the edge of the crater actually _looked_ like a goddess.

She wore a sleeveless white Greek-style dress with a gold braided belt. Her hair was long, straight, and golden brown—almost the same cinnamon-toast color as Hazel's, but the similarity to Hazel ended there. The girl's face was milky pale, with dark, almond-shaped eyes and pouty lips (not surprising since I would pout too if someone's machine crashed into my furniture unannounced and destroy it along with everything on it).

She looked maybe fifteen, about my age, and, sure, she was pretty; but that angry expression on her face reminded me of every popular girl in every school I'd attended—the ones who made fun of me, gossip a lot, thought they were _so_ superior, and basically did everything they could to make my life miserable.

I disliked her instantly and my plans of apology went down the drain. Especially since it seems she was more concern about her table than the fact a guy was in the crater holding a sphere and a helicopter nearby that was smoking.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "I just fell out of the sky. I constructed a helicopter in midair, burst into flames halfway down, crashed-landed, and barely survive. But by all means—let's talk about your dining table!"

I snatched up a half-melted goblet. "Who puts a dining table on the beach where innocent demigods can crash into? Who _does_ that?"

The girl clenched her fist. I was pretty sure she was going to march down into the crater and punched me in the face, or turn me into some kind of insignificant animal as punishment (I heard the gods do that to those who are rude to them no matter who starts it). Instead, she looked up at the sky.

"REALLY?" she screamed at the empty blue. "You want to make my curse even _worse_? Zeus! Hephaestus! Hermes! Have you no shame?"

I noticed two things: she's obviously one of the lucky gods not affected by the war between Greeks and Romans—in fact, she seem unaware that there is a war or so mad right now she doesn't care—and she just picked three gods to blame, and one of them was my dad. I didn't figure neither was a good sign. I decided to give her name of someone to blame though.

"Hey, if you want someone to blame, blame the snow witch Khione," I argued. "I wouldn't have fallen from the sky if she didn't blow me off my ship."

Sadly, the girl didn't seem to be listening to me or was ignoring me. "Show yourself!" she yelled at the sky. "It's not bad enough I am exiled? It's not bad enough you take away the few _good_ heroes I'm allowed to meet? You think it's funny to send me this –this charboiled runt of a boy to ruin my tranquility? This is NOT FUNNY! Take him back!"

"Hey, Sunshine," I said, "I'm right here, you know. And despite how I may look, I have you know I'm one of the seven greatest demigods of my generation."

That seem to catch the girl's attention. She turned and looked at me as if she heard someone saying something similar to that before.

"First off, don't call me Sunshine said," she said. "Secondly, I find it ridiculous that a scrawny kid like you have the same fate as—as him."

She said _him_ like it brought painful memories.

"Well, believe it," I said.

The girl growled like a corner animal. "Get out of that hole and come with me _now_ so I can get you off my island!"

"Well, I was planning to work on fixing your dining table, but since you ask so nicely…"

The girl must have ignored me because she turned away. Typical. Of all the islands I could of crashed into, I crashed into one belonging to a girl with attitude.

Still, if she could help me leave this island, that was totally find with me. I clutched my charred sphere and climbed out of the crater. When I reached the top, the girl was already marching down the shoreline. I had to jog just to catch up.

She gestured in disgust at the burning wreckage. "This was a pristine beach! Now look at it!"

"Yeah, my bad," I muttered. "I should've crashed on one of the other islands. Oh, wait—there aren't any!"

She snarled and kept walking along the edge of the water. I caught a whiff of cinnamon—maybe her perfume. Not that I cared. Her hair swayed down her back in a mesmerizing kind of way, which of course I didn't care about either.

I scanned the sea. Just like I'd seen during my fall, there were no landmasses or ships all the way to the horizon. Looking inland, I saw grassy hills dotted with trees. A footpath wound through a grove of cedars. I wondered where it led: probably to the girl's secret lair, where she roasted her enemies so she could eat them at her dining table on the beach.

I was so busy thinking about that, I didn't notice when the girl stopped until I ran into her.

"Gah!" She turned and grabbed my arms to keep from falling into the surf. Her hands were strong, as though she worked with them for a living. Back at camp, my sisters from Hephaestus cabin had strong hands like that, but she didn't look like a Hephaestus kid.

I pulled her up because, hey, just because we don't like each other doesn't mean I should let her fall. Especially since this was my fault.

That didn't stop the girl from glaring at me, her dark almond eyes only a few inches from mine. Her cinnamon smell reminded me of my _abuela's_ apartment. Wow, I haven't thought about that place in years.

The girl pushed me away. "All right. This spot is good. Now tell me you want to leave."

"What?" my brain was still kind of muddled from the crash landing. I wasn't sure I had heard her right.

"Do you want to _leave_?" she demanded. "Surely you've got somewhere to go!"

"Uh… yeah. Actually I do. My friends are in trouble, and I need to get back to my ship—"

"Fine," she snapped. "Just say, _I want to leave Ogygia_."

"Uh, okay." I wasn't sure why, but her tone kind of hurt… which was kind of stupid, since I didn't care what this girl thought. "I want to leave—whatever you said."

"Oh-gee-gee-ah." The girl pronounced it slowly, as if I were a five-year-old.

"I want to leave Oh-gee-gee-ah," I repeated her pronunciation.

She exhaled, clearly relieved. "Good. In a moment, a magical raft will appear. It will take you wherever you want to go."

"Does it work with technology? Because I have a second sphere like this one on my ship and I can use them to locate the other," I said.

The girl studied me. "You're one of Hephaestus' kids, aren't you?"

"Yep! My name Leo Valdez: Supreme commander of the _Argo II_ and Mechanic and inventor for the Prophecy of Seven," I replied, "That's another name of the seven greatest demigods of my generation, by the way."

The girl smiled for a second before remembering she hated me and scowled.

"So since you know me, who are you?" I asked.

The girl seemed considerate, as if thinking if she should tell me. "It doesn't matter. You'll be gone soon."

I expected her to call me a mistake but she ended with that.

"Okay—" I responded, "Well, look, what I said before—it _is_ Khione's fault I'm down here. So if you want to blame a certain god or goddess, I'm good with blaming Khione."

"This is wrong," the girl said glaring at the sky.

"Believe me, a snow goddess appearing in the middle of the summer sounds wrong to me too. But that's what happened."

"Not that! Look!" she pointed out to the sea.

"There's nothing there," I said.

"Exactly, the raft should be here by now!" the girl argued. "Agh!"

She turned and stormed inland. When she got to the footpath, she sprinted into the grove of trees and disappeared.

I guess the magical raft is out of the question.

I could stand here and wait, but I was hungry, thirsty, and tired. Not to mention I was still pretty bang up bad from my fall.

I didn't want to follow that crazy girl, no matter how good she smelled. But since I have nowhere else to go and she might have food I might as well follow her to her secret hide out. Plus, I might get some fun out of annoying her.

So, I followed her into the hills.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry about not updating sooner, but today turn out to of been a busy day for me.

Besides, despite the rocky start of this chapter, I think I pulled off on making differences from the book toward the end.


	50. Leo's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VI**

"Holy Hephaestus," I said.

The path opened into the nicest garden I had ever seen. Then again, the only garden I've spend time to observe was the _Persephone's Garden II_ at Camp Half-Blood back when my brother Beckendorf was giving me the camp tour. Still, _dang_.

On the left was an orchard and a vineyard—peach trees with red-golden fruit that smelled awesome in the warm sun, carefully pruned vines bursting with grapes, bowers of flowering jasmine, and a bunch of other plants I couldn't name. Some of the plants I recognized from _Persephone's Garden II_. But there were others that I never seen before which made this garden look a bit more exotic.

On the right were neat beds of vegetables and herbs, arranged like spokes around a big sparkling fountain where a bronze satyr spewed water into a central bowl.

At the back of the garden, where the foot path ended, a cave opened in the side of a grassy hill. Compared to Bunker Nine back at camp, the entrance was tiny, but it was impressive in its own way. On either side, a crystalline rock had been carved into glittering Grecian columns. The tops were filled with a bronze rod that held silky white curtains.

My nose was assaulted by good smells—cedar, juniper, jasmine, peaches, and fresh herbs. The aroma from the cave really caught my attention—the smell of beef stew cooking.

I started toward the entrance. Seriously, how could I not. I stopped when I noticed the girl. She was kneeling in her vegetable garden, her back to me. She muttered to herself as she dug furiously with a trowel.

I approached her from one side so she could see me. I remember one time at Camp Half-Blood some children of Hermes pulled a prank on the children of Demeter while they were working in the _Persephone's Garden II_ , or I would guess that's where the prank happened since the children of Hermes were being chased by children of Demeter with flowering equipment. You wouldn't think gardening tools use for flowers would be dangerous until you seen a child of Demeter threatening to use them in ways that makes even me duck for cover.

The girl was cursing in Ancient Greek and stabbing at the dirt. She had flecks of soil all over her arms, her face, and her white dress, but she didn't seem to care.

I could appreciate that. She looked better with a little mud—less like a beauty queen and more like an actual get-your-hands-dirty kind of person.

"I think you've punished that dirt enough," I offered.

She scowled, her eyes red and watery. "Just go away."

"You're crying," I said, which was stupidly obvious; but seeing her that way took the wind out of my helicopter blades, so to speak. It was hard to stay mad at someone who was crying.

"None of your business," she muttered. "It's a big island. Just… find your own place. Leave me alone." She waved vaguely toward the south. "Go that way, maybe."

"What am I supposed to do? Sit in the sand dunes until I die?"

"That would be fine…" The girl threw down her trowel and cursed at the sky. "Except I suppose he _can't_ die here, can he? This is not funny!"

Can't _die_ _here?_

"Hold up." My head spun like a crankshaft. I couldn't quite translate what this girl was saying—okay I could understand it, but she might as well be a foreign language to me.

"I'm going to need some more information here," I said. "You don't want me in your face, that's cool. I don't want to be here either. But I'm not going to go die in a corner. I have to get off this island. There's _got_ to be a way. Every problem has a fix."

She laughed bitterly. "You haven't lived very long, if you still believe that."

The way she said it sent a shiver up my back. She looked the same age as me, but I wonder how old she really was.

"You said something about a curse," I prompted.

She flexed her fingers, like she was practicing her throat strangling technique. "Yes. I cannot leave Ogygia. My father, Atlas, fought against the gods, and I supported him."

"The Titan Atlas?" I asked.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, you impossible little…" Whatever she was going to say, she bit back. "I was imprisoned here, where I could cause the Olympians no trouble. But a year ago, after the Second Titan War, the gods vowed to forgive their enemies and offered amnesty. From what I heard, Percy tried to keep his promise—"

"Percy," I said. "Percy Jackson? He came here?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. A tear trickled down her cheek.

"He swore on the River Styx he would find a way to get the Olympians to free me. I heard he gave up a chance of immortality to do just that along with other things." She dug her fingers into the soil. "I—I thought when he did that, he kept his promise-, that I would be released. I dared to hope… but I am still here."

Oh wow, this is awkward. Now that I think about it, I did hear a story in Camp Half-Blood about Percy visiting this island, meeting a goddess who'd gotten a major crush on him and wanted to stay, but eventually she let him go.

"You're Calypso!" I snapped my finger, "The original reason why Percy had the Olympians swore to—oh, wow! I bet Percy won't be happy when he finds out the Olympians broke their promise." My heart sank as I remembered that Percy and Annabeth were in Tartarus.

I saw how serious Percy takes his oaths. I can tell he's not the type of guy who goes making oaths without planning to keep them. Heck, he made Nico swear on the River of Styx to get everyone of us to the House of Hades while he and Annabeth took the Tartarus route.

If the Olympians broke their promise, then they might have made Percy look like a liar to the river Styx. Percy and Annabeth falling into Tartarus could be because of some misunderstanding.

"But Percy said you were awesome. He said you were all sweet and helpful, not, um…"

She shot to her feet. "Yes?"

"Uh, nothing," I replied.

"Would you be _sweet_ ," she demanded, "if the gods forgot their promise to let you go? Would you be sweet if they _laughed_ at you by sending another hero, but a hero who looked like—like you?"

"Is that a trick question?"

 _"Di Immortales!"_ She turned and marched into her cave.

"Hey!" I ran after her.

When I got inside, I lost my train of thought. The walls were made from multicolored chunks of crystal. White curtains divided the cave into different rooms with comfy pillows and woven rugs and pattered of fresh fruit. I spotted a harp in one corner, a loom in another, and a big cooking pot where the stew was bubbling, filling the cavern with luscious smells.

The strangest thing? The chores were doing themselves. Towels floated through the air, folding and stacking into neat piles. Spoons washed themselves in a copper sink. The scene reminded me of the invisible winds that served me lunch back at Camp Jupiter.

Calypso stood at a washbasin, cleaning the dirt off her arms.

She scowled at me, but she didn't yell at me to leave. She seemed to be running out of energy for her anger.

I cleared my throat and put up my best nice expression. After all, if I was going to get off this island I need her help. "So… I get why you're angry. Percy promised you he would find a way to free you, but when he did, the Olympians made a fool out of him by forgetting to free you. Then Khione blew me off my ship, forcing me to crash land on _your_ island and I turn out to be an insult compared to Percy."

"It's not just Percy," She growled. "Percy was the latest visitor before you. Before him, it was that pirate Drake. And before him, Odysseus. They were all the same! The gods send me the greatest heroes; the ones I cannot help but…"

"You fall in love with them," I guessed. "Then they leave you."

Her chin trembled. "That is my curse. I had hoped to be free of it by now, but here I am, still stuck on Ogygia after three thousand years."

"Three thousand." My mouth felt tingly, like I'd just eaten Pop Rocks. "Uh, you look good for three thousand."

"And now… the worst insult of all, you tell me Khione send you to me. Hmph! She probably did that knowing I wouldn't fall for you."

Okay, struck a nerve, but I can see Khione doing that. Especially since I was no noble demigod like Jason or Percy. If I were, the magic raft would _totally_ arrive for me.

Unfortunately, I was just an annoying guest Calypso couldn't get rid of. She would never fall for me because she was _way_ out of my league. Not that I cared. She wasn't my type anyway. She was way too annoying, and beautiful, and—well, it didn't matter.

"Fine," I said, "I'll leave you alone. I'll built something myself and get off this stupid island myself.

She shook her head sadly. "You still don't understand, do you? Khione dropped you here as a joke. Something for the gods to laugh at."

"Actually, Khione is working against the gods," I said.

"It doesn't matter," Calypso said. "If the raft will not appear, that means they've closed Ogygia. You're stuck here the same as me. You can never leave."

* * *

 **A/N:** If this was any other story of 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' I would say "Hey guess what, I'm two or four chapters away from finishing. Unfortunately this is not the case. Sorry guys, I still have twenty six chapters left.

A New Poll is up on my profile: Should Calypso leave with Leo during his first visit instead of waiting for him in The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades Basically a yes or no poll.


	51. Leo's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VII**

The next time I see Khione, I'm going to give her a reason to fear me more than she hates fire. Of course that will have to wait until I get off this island.

The first few days were the worst on this island.

I slept outside on a bed of drop clothes under the stars It got cold at night, even on the beach in the summer, so I built fire with the remains of Calypso's dining table. After of course, I found out I couldn't salvage much of it, not that it bothers me.

During the days, I walked the circumference of the island and found nothing of interest—unless you like beaches and endless sea in every direction. I tried to send an Iris-message in the rainbows that formed in the sea spray, but I had no luck. I didn't have any drachmas for an offering, and apparent the goddess Iris wasn't interested in nuts and bolts. To make things worse, when I try to locate the _Argo II_ with the Archimedes' spheres finder app—after I fix the sphere I had of course—I get a static scene that says 'No Data Available'. I guess this island isn't located anywhere.

On the upside, I didn't have dreams on this island. It sounds unusual for a demigod like me. But because of it, I felt disconnected with the real world.

I finally made sense of my dream on the _Argo II_. When the evil sorceress lady had told me to either jump off a cliff into the clouds or descend into a dark tunnel where ghostly voices whispered. That tunnel must have represented the House of Hades, which I might never see now. I'd taken the cliff instead—falling through the sky to this stupid magical island that seem to be on NO MAP. But in the dream I had been given a choice. In real life, I'd had none. Khione had simply plucked me off my ship and threw me into orbit. Totally unfair.

The worst part of being stuck here? I was losing track of the days. I woke up one morning and couldn't remember if I'd been on Ogygia for three nights or four.

Calypso was no help. When I did ask her, she just shook her head. "Time is difficult here."

Great. For all I knew, either a century passed in the real world, and Gaea has won the war, or I been here for five minutes. I wonder if that means I'll be living like Nico and his sister Bianca when they were in the Lotus Casino—sixty years in the real world while I only age a month.

Huh. I just realized what Calypso meant when she said I couldn't die here.

Speaking of Calypso, it seems she has taken pity on me in some ways. I'm guessing she finally accept the fact that I'm just as trapped here as she is. She sent her invisible servants to leave bowls of stew and goblets of apple cider at the edge of the garden. She even sent me a new set of clothes—simple, undyed cotton pants and shirts she must have made in her loom. They fit me so well, I wonder how I'd gotten my measurements. Maybe she just used her generic pattern for SCRAWNY MALE.

Anyway, I was glad to have new threads, since my old ones were pretty smelly and burned up. Usually I could keep my clothes from burning when I caught fire, but it took concentration. Sometimes back at camp, if I wasn't thinking about it, I'd be working on some metal project in the hot forge—most likely for the _Argo II_ that I couldn't build in the bunker—I would look down, and realized my clothes had burned away, except for my magic tool belt and fortunately a smoking pair of underwear. Kind of embarrassing.

Despite the gifts though, Calypso obviously didn't want to see me. One time I poked my head inside the cave to thank her and she freaked out, yelling and throwing pots at my head.

Yeah, she was _definitely_ on Team Leo.

I ended up pitching a more permanent camp near the footpath, where the beach met the hills. That way I was close enough to pick up my meals, but Calypso didn't have to see me and go into a pot throwing rage.

I made myself a lean-to with sticks and canvas. I dug a campfire pit. I even managed to build myself a bench and work table as well as a new dining table from old drift wood and dead cedar branches. I doubt the dining table I built was as fancy as the one I destroyed, but now that I have free time, I found myself working on many projects, including that old bronze astrolabe I picked up in Bologna—the one the dwarfs told me Odysseus had made.

After I started working on it, I started getting this sneaking suspicion Odysseus had been thinking about this island when he made this device. However, no matter what I try, I can't get it to work. The dwarfs mention about a missing crystal, but I had _no clue_ what that might be. I would ask Calypso about it, but I'm afraid to have another pot thrown at me, or worse open old wounds for her. As annoying as she is, I don't think I can stand that sad look of hers once more.

Then one morning I made a discovery, and things got even more complicated.

…

I was walking the hills, following a little brook that ran between to big cedar trees. I liked this area—it was the only place on Ogygia where I couldn't see the sea, so I could pretend I wasn't stuck on an island. In the shades of the trees, I almost felt like I was back at Camp Half-Blood, heading through the woods toward Bunker Nine.

I jumped over the creek and instead of landing on soft earth, my feet his something much harder.

 _CLANG_.

Metal.

Excited, I dug through the mulch until I saw the glint of bronze.

"Oh, man." I giggled like a crazy person as I excavate the scraps.

I figured it came from my dad's workshop. Hephaestus was always tossing broken parts out and littering the earth with scrap metal, but what were the chance of some of it would hit Ogygia?

I found a handful of wires, a few bent gears, a piston that might still work, and several hammered sheets of Celestial bronze—the smallest the size of drink coaster, the largest the size of a war shield.

It wasn't much, at least not compared to Bunker Nine, or my supplies back on the _Argo II_. But it was more than sand and rocks.

"Thanks dad," I muttered. I don't know if he did this on purpose, but it felt right thanking him anyway.

I gathered up my treasure trove and lugged it back to my campsite.

After that, I spend days on new projects, which meant the island was filled with nothing but noise.

First I made myself a forge out of mud bricks, each one baked with my own fiery hands. I found a large rock I could use as an anvil base, and I pulled nails from my tool belt until I had enough to melt into a hammering surface.

Once that was done, I began to recast the Celestial bronze scraps. Each day, I start the morning out checking the island for more of my dad's scraps, and the rest of the day my hammer rang on bronze until my rock anvil broke, or my tongs bent, or I ran out of firewood.

Each evening I collapsed, drenched in sweat and covered in soot; but I felt great. At least I was working, trying to solve my problem.

The first time Calypso came to check on me, it was to complain about the noise.

"Smoke and fire," she said. "Clanging metal all day long!"

"I'm a son of Hephaestus, what do you expect?" I asked, "Since I can't build a boat off this island, I need find something to do to keep myself busy."

"What do you hope to accomplish?"

"Well, for one thing, building you dining table!" I pointed at the bronze table that sat beside the make shift table I made before my huge discovery.

Calypso basically blushed when she noticed it. I guess she didn't expect me to _actually_ build her a new table after destroying her first one and then using the remains as fire wood.

With everything that happened since my first night here, I'd forgotten how beautiful Calypso was. _Annoyingly_ beautiful. She stood there with the sunlight in her hair, her white skirt fluttering around her legs, a basket of grapes and fresh baked bread tucked under one arm.

I expected her to say thanks, but she set the basket on my bed roll. "You haven't eaten in two days. Take a break and _eat_."

"Two days" I hadn't even noticed, which surprised me, since I liked food. I was even more surprise that Calypso _had_ noticed.

"Thanks," I muttered. "I'll, uh, try to hammer more quietly."

Calypso didn't respond. Most likely because she probably had nothing more insulting to say finding out I built her a new Table.

After that, she didn't complain about the noise or the smoke. In fact, her invisible servants seem to come more frequently with more scraps they found around the island and a list of things Calypso needs fixed. It seems I been promoted unannounced from annoying visitor to annoying handyman.

The next time she visited, I was putting the final touches on my first for-me project. I didn't see her until she spoke right behind me.

"I brought you—"

I jumped, dropping my wires. "Bronze bulls, girl! Don't sneak up on me like that."

Today she was wearing red—my favorite color. That was completely irrelevant. She looked really good in red. Also irrelevant.

"I wasn't _sneaking_ ," she said. "I was bringing you these."

She showed me the clothes that were folded over her arm: a new pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, an army fatigue jacket… wait, those were _my_ clothes, except that they couldn't be. My original army jacket had burned up months ago. I hadn't been _wearing_ it when I landed on Ogygia. But the clothes Calypso held looked exactly like the clothes I'd been wearing the first day I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood—except these look bigger, resized to fit me better.

"How?" I asked.

Calypso set the clothes at my feet and backed away as if I were a dangerous beast. "I do have a little magic, you know. You keep burning through the clothes I give you, so I thought I would weave something less flammable."

"These won't burn?" I picked up the jeans, but they felt just like normal denim.

"They are completely fireproof," Calypso promised. "They'll stay clean and expand to fit you, should you ever become less scrawny."

"Thanks." I meant it to sound sarcastic, but I was honestly impressed. I could make a lot of things, but an inflammable, self-cleaning outfit wasn't one of them. "So… you made an extra replica of my favorite outfit. Did you, like, Google me or something?"

She frowned. "I don't know that word."

"You looked me up," I said. "Almost like you had some interest in me."

She wrinkled her nose. "I have an interest in not making you a new set of clothes every other day. I have an interest in your not smelling so bad and walking around my island in smoldering rags."

"Oh, yeah." I grinned. "You're really warming up to me."

Her face got even redder. "You are the most insufferable person I have ever met! I was only returning a favor for fixing my stuff."

"Which you gave me a list to do." I responded. "Besides, I don't like stuff that doesn't work right."

"Oh, yeah," Calypso said, in a pretty good imitation of my voice. "You're really warming up to me."

For once I was speechless. Calypso's eyes glittered. I knew she was making fun of me, but somehow it didn't feel mean.

She pointed at my worktable. "What are you building?"

"Oh." I looked at the shield I just made that had a bronze polished mirror that had wires connecting it to the Archimedes sphere. The screen's polished surface, I saw my own reflection, and it surprised me. My hair had grown out longer and curlier. My face was thinner and more chiseled, maybe because I hadn't been eating. My eyes were dark and a little ferocious when I wasn't smiling—kind of a extra small latino Tarzan. I couldn't blame Calypso for backing away from me.

"A device. Actually a combination of one of Daedalus magical items and Archimedes' devices," I said, "Back at Camp Half-Blood, my brother Beckendorf had a copy of blueprints to a magical shield that shows images of anything under direct natural light that he made once based off Daedalus designs."

"And the mirror?" Calypso asked.

"That was actually part of Archimedes' design," I replied. "We found a mirror in Rome, in the work of Archimedes. If made this successfully and it works, I can find out what's going on with my friends as long as they're direct natural lights."

Calypso shook her head. "That's impossible. This island is hidden, cut off from the world by strong magic. Time doesn't even flow the same here."

"That's why I combined it with one of Daedalus' designs," I explained. "Besides, you've got to have some kind of outside contact. How did you find out that I used to wear an army jacket?"

She twisted her hair as if the question made her uncomfortable. "Seeing the past is simple magic. Seeing the present or the future—that is not. How do you know this will work?"

"I don't, but from the stories I heard from Camp, Daedalus was as much as a genius inventor as Archimedes only his work is more wrapped around magic than technology," I responded. "But if I made this right, and this device works, we might get a glimpse of what's going on. I just need to connect these two wires."

The bronze plate sparked. Images flickered, showing the _Argo II_ docked next to some kind of castle.

"It works!" I cheered.

I ended up cheering too soon as the shield sparked some more and the image flickered out. Smoke billowed from the sphere. A flash fire raced up my sleeve. I pulled it off my shirt, threw it down and stomped on it.

I could tell Calypso was trying not to laugh, but she was shaking with effort.

"At least it worked for a second," Calypso tried to say with a straight face, "I take it that was your ship?"

"Yeah," I replied. "That was the _Argo II_."

I noticed that Calypso was now glancing at my bare chest, which was sweaty, bony, and streaked with old scars from weapon making accidents.

"Nothing worth commenting on," she assures me. "Maybe we should try some musical invocation on the magic of the device."

"Right," I said. "Got any suggestions?"

She took a deep breath and began to sing.

Her voice hit me like a cool breeze—like that first cold front in Texas when the summer heat finally breaks and you start to believe things might get better. I couldn't understand the words, but the song was plaintive and bittersweet, as if she were describing a home she could never return to.

Her singing was magic, no doubt. But it wasn't like Medea's trance-inducing voice, or even Piper's charmspeak. The music didn't want anything from me. It simply reminded me of my best memories—building things with my mom in her workshop; sitting in the sunshine with my friends at camp. It made me miss home.

Calypso stopped singing and I realized I was staring like an idiot.

"Any luck?" she asked.

"Uh…" I forced my eyes back to my bronze mirror-shield. "Nothing. Wait…"

The screen glowed once again. Images shimmered to life on the shield.

…

It didn't show the _Argo II_ this time. Instead, it shows the commons at Camp Half-Blood.

There were no sound, but Clarisse La Rue from Ares cabin was yelling orders at the campers, forming them into lines. I saw Beckendorf along with the rest of my brethren from Cabin Nine hurried around, fitting everyone with armor and passing out weapons.

I knew it was bad if Beckendorf was back in camp. I knew he had plans with his girlfriend Silena Beauregard from Aphrodite's Cabin to leave Camp Half-Blood as soon as Silena finished High School to try and live a normal life. In fact, I was meant to become Cabin Nine's Counsellor when they do. So if Beckendorf was back, things were bad.

Even Chiron the centaur was dressed for war. He trotted up and down the ranks, his plumed helmet gleaming, his legs decked in bronze greaves. His usual friendly smile was gone, replaced with a look of grim determination.

In the distance, Greek triremes floated on Long Island Sound, prepped for war. Along the hills, catapults were being primed. Satyrs patrolled the fields, and riders on pegasi circled overhead, alert for aerial attacks.

"Your friends?" Calypso asked.

I nodded. My face felt numb. "They're preparing for war. And things must be worse than we originally thought." I pointed at Beckendorf handing out a sword to a one eye demigod I recognized as Ethan Nakamura from Nemesis Cabin. "That big African American dude there is my half-brother Beckendorf. He and his girlfriend Silena Beauregard from Aphrodite's cabin was supposed to be leaving camp this year to finish up college and try to live a normal life."

Calypso nodded, as if understanding where I was going. "Who are they fighting against?"

"Look," I said.

The scene changed. A phalanx of Roman demigods marched through a moonlit vineyard. An illuminated sign in the distance read: GOLDSMITH WINERY.

"I've seen that sign before," I said. "That's not far from Camp Half-Blood."

Suddenly the Roman ranks deteriorated into chaos. Demigods scattered. Shields fell. Javelins swung wildly, like the whole group had stepped in fire ants.

Darting through the moonlight were two small hairy shapes dressed in mismatched clothes and garish hats. They seemed to be everywhere at one—whacking Romans in the head, stealing their weapons, cutting the belts so their pants fell around their ankles. I knew personally how hard it was to move around while your pants kept falling off, so I know how affective it was.

I couldn't help grinning. "Those beautiful little troublemakers! They kept their promise."

Calypso leaned in, watching the Kerkopes. "Cousins of yours?"

"Ha, ha, ha, no," I said. "Couple of dwarfs I met in Bologna. I sent them to slow down the Romans, and they're doing it."

"But for how long?" Calypso wondered.

Good question. The scene shifted again. I saw Octavian—that no-good blonde scarecrow of an augur. He stood in a parking lot of a gas station, surrounded by black SUVs and Roman demigods. He held up a long pole wrapped in canvas. When he uncovered it, a golden eagle glimmered at the top

"Oh, that's not good," I said.

"A Roman standard," Calypso noted.

"Yeah, and from what I heard, this one shoots lightning," I said, not wanting to bring up Percy's name."

The image changed again. Now I saw a single rider—Reyna, praetor from Camp Jupiter—flying through a storm on the back of a light-brown pegasus. Reyna's dark hair flew in the wind. Her purple fluttered, revealing the glimmer of her armor. She was bleeding from her cuts on her arms and face. Her pegasus' eyes were wild, his mouth slathering from hard riding; but Reyna peered steadfastly forward into the storm.

"Well that was reassuring," I muttered.

"Your girlfriend?" Calypso asked, repressing a glare.

"No. That's Reyna! Praetor of Camp Jupiter and if our sources are correct, possibly our last chance for long lasting peace between Greeks and Romans," I said.

However, just as I said that, the shield showed a wild gryphon dived out of the clouds. It raked its claws across the pegasus' ribs, almost throwing Reyna. She drew her sword and slashed the monster down. Seconds later, three _venti_ appeared—dark storm spirits swirling like miniature tornadoes laced with lightning. Reyna charged at them, defiantly.

Then the Bronze mirror shield went dark.

"No!" I yelled. "No, Not now. Show me what happens!" I banged on the mirror. "Calypso, can you sing again or something."

Calypso nodded. "If it means finding out how this girl is supposed to bring peace between Greeks and Romans."

 _Oh but there will never be peace,_ a voice rumbled in the ground beneath our feet. I staggered, suddenly feeling like I was standing on trampoline.

 _Not as long as I'm waking up._ A swirling human erupted from the sand—my least favorite goddess, the Mistress of Mud, the Princess of Potty Sludge, Gaea herself.

I threw a pair of pliers at her. Unfortunately, she wasn't sold, and they passed right through. Her eyes were closed, but she didn't look asleep, exactly. She had a smile on her dust devil face, as if she were intently listening to her favorite song. Her sandy robes shifted and folded, reminding me of the undulating fins on that stupid shrimpzilla monster we'd fought in the Atlantic. For my money, though, Gaea was uglier.

 _You want to live,_ Gaea said. _You want to join your friends. But you do not_ need _this, my poor boy. It would make no difference. Your friends will die, regardless._

My legs shook. I hated it, but whenever this witch appeared, I felt like I was eight years old again, trapped in the lobby of my mom's machine shop, listening to Gaea soothing evil voice while my mother was locked inside the burning warehouse, dying from heat and smoke.

"What I _don't_ need," I growled, "is more lies from you, Dirt Face. You told Hazel her first boyfriend—my great-granddad died in the 1960s. Wrong! We learned he lived long enough to leave me a message. Then you told me I couldn't save my friends in Rome. Wrong! We got out and stopped the twin banes of Dionysus. All you do is tell lies."

Gaea's laughter was a soft rustling sound, like dirt trickling down a hill in the first moments of an avalanche.

 _I tried to help you make better choices. You could have saved yourself. But you defied me at every step. You built your ship. You joined that foolish quest. Now you are trapped here, helpless, while the mortal world dies._

My hands burst into flames. I wanted to melt Gaea's sandy face to glass. But then Calypso placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Gaea." Her voice was stern and steady. "You are not welcome."

I wished I could sound as confident as Calypso. Then I remember that this annoying fifteen-year-old girl was actually the immortal daughter of a Titan.

 _Ah Calypso._ Gaea raised her arms as if for a hug. _Still here, I see, despite the gods' promises. Why do you think that is, my dear grandchild? Are the Olympians being spiteful, leaving you with no company except for this undergrown fool? Or have they simply forgotten you, because you are not worth their time?_

Calypso stared through the swirling face of Gaea, all the way to the horizon.

 _Yes,_ Gaea murmured sympathetically. _The Olympians are faithless. They do not give second chances to those that are still punished. Why do you hold out hope? You supported your father, Atlas, in the great war. You knew that the gods must be destroyed. Why do you hesitate now?_ _I offer you a chance that Zeus would never give you._

Suddenly a memory flashed in my mind. A story Satyrs would tell around Hestia's Hearth at Camp Half-Blood, about their late Lord Pan.

"Because it's not the Gods' fate to get Calypso off this island." I said. "It's mine."

"Leo…" Calypso said.

"Heroes been doing stuff the gods couldn't do for thousands of years. Now that Percy has made the Olympians swore to free Calypso, but it can't be done without another hero's help," I said, "That's why you're here isn't it? Not just to torment me, but make sure I can't finish what Percy started."

 _You'll regret your decision Leo Valdez._ Gaea responded. _Even if you escape from this island, you cannot survive against my son._

Calypso thrust her hand toward Gaea in a three-fingered gesture I recognized from Camp Half-Blood: The Ancient Greek ward against evil. "You heard Leo, Gaea. Now get off my island!"

The wind ripped Gaea's form into nothingness, scattering the sand into the blue sky.

I swallowed. "Thanks for believing in me."

"Don't thank me yet," Calypso said, "I still don't know what you just said is true, but I do know your friends need you. Now come on! We have work to do if we're going to get you back to your ship."

I hate to admit it, I'm starting to like this girl more and more by the second.

* * *

 **A/N:** The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades will be put on pause for a few days for the new Poll posted on my profile page: Should Calypso leave with Leo during his first visit instead of waiting for him in The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades Basically a yes or no poll.


	52. Leo's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Leo's POV Part VIII**

I thought I been busy before. When Calypso set her mind on something, she was a machine.

Within a day, she'd gathered enough supplies for a weeklong voyage for two—food, flasks of water, herbal medicines from her garden. She wove a sail big enough for a small yatch and made enough rope for all the rigging.

Today, she was dressed for work in pair of jeans and a grubby white T-shirt. Whenever I asked her about the wardrobe change, she claimed she had realized how practical these clothes were after making some for me.

In the blue jeans, she didn't look much like a goddess. Her T-shirt was covered with grass and dirt stains, like she'd just run through a swirling Gaea. Her feet were bare. Her cinnamon-toasted hair was tied back, which made her almond eyes look even larger and more startling. Her hands were calloused and blistered from working with the rope.

"You really want to test out my theory don't you?" I asked.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Calypso said. "I still doubt it will work."

"Then why are you packing enough stuff for two people?" I asked.

"As much as it annoys me, to say, you do have a point," Calypso said. "Having me wait for the next hero to crash into my island to actually free me would be something they would do. Especially Aphrodite."

"How do we know if it works or not?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," Calypso replied. "I never actually _try_ to leave Ogygia. At least, not in thousands of years."

I found myself looking at her as I felt a tugging in my stomach that I couldn't quite explained.

"So?" she prompted.

"So… what?"

She nodded at the circuitry in the Archimedes Sphere. "So can I help? How is it coming?"

"Oh, uh, I'm good here. I guess. If I can wire this thing up to the boat and my Archimedes sphere, I should be able to expand the Archimedes Sphere Finder app to search the whole Mediterranean instead of just the hundred-mile radius making our search a lot easier."

"Now all we need is a boat," Calypso said.

I tried to read her expression. I wasn't sure if she was happy to finally get off this island or worried that our plan will fail.

"Calypso, there's something you should know," I said.

"I already know about the gods' condition," Calypso said. "Don't worry, I won't be affected by the war once I'm off this island."

"Oh," I said, "Well that's good to know, but I was actually going to warn you that if you come with me, you might have to help us fight a giant or two."

"You don't think I don't already know that," Calypso said, "Believe it or not, I can take care of myself out there. I did take part in the first Titan War after all."

She had a good point there.

"Now," Calypso said, "How can I help?"

"Um…" I stared down at my own project. But then I remember Frank and his piece of firewood. "Actually, I need you to make something for a friend of mine using that fireproof cloth. A little bag to be exact."

I described the dimensions. Calypso waved her hand impatiently. "I get it. That will only take minutes to make. Anything else."

I thought back to the little machine I got from the dwarves.

"Actually a little piece of crystal from your cave," I said, "I want to test out a theory of mine for a little piece of tech I found at Bologna, and that might help."

"All right. Consider it done. I'll make the fireproof pouch tonight at the loom, when I've clean up and I'll give you both it and the crystal tomorrow. But what can I do now, while my hands are dirty?"

She held up her calloused, grimy fingers. I couldn't help thinking there was _nothing_ hotter than a girl who didn't mind getting her hands dirty, or willing to risk everything to help fight a Gaea's forces. But of course, that was just a general comment. Didn't apply to Calypso. Obviously.

"Well," I said, "you could twist some more bronze coils. But that's kind of specialized—"

She pushed in next to me on the bench and began to work, her hands braiding the bronze wiring faster than I could have. "Just like weaving," she said. "This isn't so hard."

"Huh," I said. "Well, after the quest is over and I survive the prophecy of seven, if you want a job, let me know. You're not a total klutz."

She smirked. "A job, eh? Making things in your forge?"

"Nah, we could start our own shop. Maybe at New Rome if they still welcome me once Reyna returns the statue to Camp Half-Blood," I said, surprising even myself. Starting a machine shop had always been one of my dreams, but I'd never told anyone about it. "If not, we can find somewhere else. Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair Chariots and Automatons."

"Fresh fruits and vegetables," Calypso offered.

"Cider and stew," I added. "We could even provide entertainment. You could sing and I could, like, randomly burst into flames for a magic act. Mortals won't know the difference with the Mist."

Calypso laughed—a clear, happy sound that made my heart go _ka-bump_.

"See," I said. "I'm funny."

She managed to kill her smile. "You are _not_ funny. Now, get back to work, or no cider and stew."

"Yes, ma'am," I said. We worked in silence, side by side, for the rest of the afternoon.

…

Two nights later, the modifications to the Archimedes sphere was finished and I had my pouch and crystal.

As I thought, the device Odysseus made—the astrolabe did give directions to Ogygia. When I told Calypso about it (without bringing up Odysseus), she frowned.

"You're saying we could return to Ogygia with it?" Calypso asked.

"Well, as a vacation, yes," I replied.

"But Leo, no one ever returns to this island," Calypso said.

"That was before I found this thing," I held up the device, "Just trust me."

Calypso didn't argue against it, but she did look skeptical.

Now, Calypso and I sat on the beach, near the spot where I destroyed the dining table and we ate a picnic dinner at the new table I build. The full moon turned the waves to silver. Our campfire sent orange sparks into the sky. Calypso wore a fresh white shirt and her jeans, which she'd apparently decided to live in.

Behind us in the dunes, our supplies were carefully packed and everything Calypso could pack that would fit in a two person boat, ready to go. If I didn't know better, Calypso was anxious now to test my theory.

"All we need is a boat," Calypso said hopeful.

I nodded. "I can start chopping wood into boards tomorrow," I said. "Few days, we'll have enough for a small hull."

"You've made a ship before," Calypso remembered. "Your _Argo II_."

I nodded. I thought about all those months I'd spent creating the _Argo II_. Somehow making a boat to sail from Ogygia seemed like a more daunting task.

"So how long do I have to wait to see if your crazy theory will work or not?" Calypso asked.

"Uh, not sure. Another week?" For some reason, saying that made me feel less agitated. When I'd gotten here, I couldn't wait to get off this island and leave Calypso behind. But now, well I couldn't wait to see if Calypso will be able to leave with me or not. Weird.

Calypso ran her fingers across the Archimedes Sphere. "This took so long to upgrade."

"You can't rush perfection."

A smile tugged at the edge of her mouth. "Yes, but will it work?"

"Hopefully, once we're out of the magical barrier that surrounds this island," I said. "Just wait until you see the _Argo II_. There's Festus, Coach Hedge, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Nico—and of course Annabeth and—" I paused wondering if I should say Percy's name.

"I take it Percy is among your group," Calypso said.

I nodded. "Well, he and Annabeth are in Tartarus right now—"

" _What?"_

I blinked. "Yeah, they fell into Tartarus after Annabeth retrieved her mother's statue. Didn't I tell you that before?"

"No!" Calypso said. "Leo, no mortal has survived Tartarus."

"Well, I wouldn't say that's true anymore," I said. "Nico been in and out of Tartarus."

Calypso studied me as if trying to figure out if I was joking. I couldn't help but feel a tug of jealousy toward Percy at this point.

"Look, things are going to turn out well," I said, "The two of us can fight the giant guarding the Doors of Death, Hazel will deal with the evil sorceress working for Gaea. We will win, save Percy and Annabeth, and Reyna will hopefully come to meet us at Epirus to take Athena's Parthenos off our hands and see it safely delivered to Camp Half-Blood and restore the balance between the Greeks and Romans."

"Leo, nothing ever comes that simple," Calyso said as she grabbed my hand worryingly, " _Especially_ with Gaea."

I can't argue there. But I had to keep my hopes up somehow. Plus there's something else in Calypso's eyes that caught my attention: concern look for me.

"You're worried about me, aren't you?" I asked.

Calypso's face clear from her concern. "No, I don't! I still hate you."

"Yes you are," I said. "You're concern for my—"

Calypso grabbed my face and pulled me into a kiss, which effectively shut me up

For all my joking and flirting, I had never kissed a girl before. Sure I got sisterly pecks from Piper, and then there was that thing with Echo back in the Great Salt Lake. But this wasn't like those times. This was a real, full-contact kiss. If I had gears and wires in my brain, they would've short circuited.

Calypso pulled away and I couldn't help but grin. "Man, if this is what you do to guys you hate, I wonder what you did for Percy while he was here."

Calypso blushed and pushed me lightly, "Don't push it, Leo Valdez."

We looked out at sea after that, only to have another surprise. Something was bobbing in the waves. I watched in disbelief as a large wooden raft built for two floated in the tide and slid to a stop on the beach.

I look at Calypso who seemed shock.

"I take it that's the raft we been waiting for?" I asked.

Calypso nodded. "It is, but—they never come this big before."

I grinned. "Well then, I guess the fates on your side tonight." I got up and stretched my hand to her. "Ready to say good-bye to your island."

Calypso smiled sweetly and took my hand as I helped her up so we could gather our stuff onto the raft and get off this island together.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, is how I got Calypso and Leo off Ogygia together in this story.

I know I said I would wait, but poll was going one sided with all the votes going for yes, and none for no, so I went ahead and finished this chapter with a nice twist of my own at the end of it


	53. Annabeth's POV Part XIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XIII**

I had never been scared of the dark.

But normally the dark wasn't forty feet tall. It didn't have black wings, a whip made out of stars, and a shadowy chariot pulled by vampire horses.

Nyx was almost too much to take in. Looming over the chasm, she was a churning figure of ash and smoke, as big as the Athena Parthenos statue, but very much alive. Her drew was void black, mixed with the colors of a space nebula, as if galaxies were being born in her bodice. Her face was hard to see except for the pinpoints of her eyes, which shone like quasars. When her wings beat, waves of darkness rolled over the cliffs, making me feel heavy and sleepy, my eyesight dim.

The goddess' chariot was made of the same material as Nico di Angelo's sword—Stygian iron—and pulled by two massive horses, all black except for their pointed silver fangs. The beasts' legs floated in the abyss, turning from solid to smoke as they moved.

The horses snarled and bared their fangs at me. The goddess lashed out her whip—a thin streak of stars like diamond barbs—and the horses reared back.

"No, Shade," the goddess said. "Down, Shadow. These little prizes are not for you."

Percy eyed the horses as they nickered. He was still shrouded by the Death Mist but because of his Achilles Curse he looked more solid than I did—more like a zombie who hasn't fallen apart yet—which broke my heart every time I saw him. It also must not have been very good camouflage since Nyx could obviously see them. That, or since Akhlys is Nyx's daughter, Nyx isn't fooled by the death Mist.

I couldn't read the expression on Percy's ghoulish face very well, but I understand enough that he didn't like whatever the horses were saying.

"You're not letting your horses eat us?" Percy asked the goddess.

Nyx quasar eyes burned. "Of course not. I would not let my horses eat you, any more than I would let Akhlys kill you. Such fine prizes as yourselves, I will kill myself!"

I didn't feel particularly witty or courageous, but my instincts told me to take the initiative, or this would be a very short conversation.

"Oh, don't kill yourself!" I cried. "We're not _that_ scary."

The goddess lowered her whip. "What? No, I didn't mean—"

"Well, I hope not!" I looked at Percy and forced a laugh. "We wouldn't want to scare her, would we?"

Percy laughed as well, catching onto my plan. "No, we wouldn't"

The vampire horses looked confused. They reared back and snorted and knocked their dark heads together. Nyx pulled back on the reins.

"Do you know who I am?" she demanded.

"Well, you're Night, I suppose," I replied. "I mean, I can tell because you're _dark_ and everything, though the brochure didn't say much about you."

Nyx's eyes winked out for a moment. "What brochure?"

I patted my pockets. "We had one, didn't we?"

Percy checked his pockets. "We must have lost it somewhere in the poison glade of Akyhlys. Didn't you have a copy in your laptop?"

My eyes widened at the idea. I took out my Daedalus laptop and pulled it out. I flipped it open onto the map of Tartarus, which was the last thing I had opened. The pit was there as I thought including something that looked like a palace. Ideas ran through my head, but I didn't lead it on.

"Yep. Here's the online brochure but—nope, nothing on Nyx," I said. "I guess you weren't really featured."

 _"Featured?"_

"Yeah," Percy said. "We came down here for the Tartarus tour—like, exotic destinations, you know? We even heard Houdini himself might have escaped from down here himself."

"Oh, gods yes," I agreed as I closed the laptop and placed it back in my bag. "So we booked the Tartarus excursion to see what the great escape artist has seen, but no one even mentioned we'd run into Nyx. Huh. Oh, well. Guess they didn't think you were important."

"Not important!" Nyx cracked her whip. Her horses bucked and snapped their silver fangs. Waves of darkness rolled out of the chasm, turning my insides into jelly, but I couldn't show my fear.

Percy lowered his weapon, obviously thinking the same thing as me. This was a goddess beyond anything we had ever faced. Nyx was older than any Olympian or Titan or Giant, older even than Gaea. She couldn't be defeated by two demigods by force alone, but perhaps by trickery.

I made myself to look at the goddess' massive dark face.

"Well, how many other demigods have come to see you on the tour?" I asked innocently.

Nyx's hand went slack on the reins. "None. Not one. This is unacceptable!"

I shrugged. "Maybe it's because you haven't really _done_ anything to get in the news. I mean, I can understand Tartarus being important! This whole place is named after him. Or if we could meet Day—"

"Yeah, Hemera," Percy chimed in "I heard she is pretty powerful and brilliant. It would be great to meet her. Maybe even get her autograph."

"Hemera?" Nyx gripped the rail of her black chariot. The whole vehicle shuddered. "She is my daughter! Night is much powerful than day!"

"I personally prefer Hecate, Hypnos, and Thantos," Percy responded, "Shame they're not down right now."

"But we did see the _arai_ and Akhlys. I guess they were impressive," I responded.

"All of them are my children," Nyx cried, "I am the mother of all terrors! Hecate! Old Age! Pain! Sleep! Death! And all of those curses! Behold how newsworthy I am!"

* * *

 **A/N:** I didn't bring up the Fates because I prefer the myth where they're children of Zeus and his second wife before Hera but after Metis


	54. Annabeth's POV Part XIV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XIV**

Nyx lashed out her whip again. The darkness congealed around her. On either side, an army of shadows appeared—more dark-winged _arai_ , which I was not thrilled to see; a withered old man who must have been Geras, the god of old age; and a young woman in a black toga, her eyes gleaming and her smile like a serial killer's—no doubt Eris, the goddess of strife. A dozen demons and minor appeared, each one the spawn of Night.

Not all the minor gods were there. Only the ones that normally strike fear in mortals and snap someone's sanity. But there was enough I wanted to run.

Next to me, Percy's breathing turned shallow. Even through his ghoul disguise, I could tell he was trying not to panic, but failing miserably. Not that I could blame him. A man with dark feathery wings who look like he could be mistaken for Eros only radiate death was looking down at Percy like he was greeting an old friend he couldn't wait to take the life of.

Thantos.

Percy told me how he Frank and Hazel encounter the incarnation of death in Alaska. Most mortals don't see Death once and live to tell the tale, but because of the quest to Alaska, this is Percy's second encounter with Thantos.

I stood my ground for both of us. I had to. I'm a daughter of Athena. I must control my own mind, and find a way to snap Percy out of it.

I imagine a mental frame around what I was seeing. I told myself it was just a movie—a scary movie, sure, but it could not hurt me. I was in control.

"Yeah, not bad," I admitted. "I guess we could get one picture for the scrapbook, but I don't know. You guys are so… _dark_. Even if I use a flash, I'm not sure it would come out."

"Y-yeah," Percy managed. "A shame too. We have friends in Cabin Fifteen and Twenty who would love a picture of Hypnos and Hecate. But with all of you together, forget it. It's not even photogenic."

"You—miserable—tourist!" Nyx hissed. "How dare you not whimper and beg for my autograph and a picture for your scrapbook! I'm the most fear goddess known. Even the king of Olympus fears me."

"Uh-huh." I turned to Percy patting my backpack. "Well, it's getting late. We should probably get lunch at one of those restaurants the tour guide recommended."

"Oh yeah!" Percy nodded getting my message.

"I won't let you leave! Not until you beg and whimper," Nyx yelled.

I managed a bored sigh but hid my smirk. Finally, my plan was working out.

"I suppose we could do one picture, but a group shot won't work. Maybe one of Hypnos or Hecate as Percy suggested or—Oh I know! How about one with your favorite child? The one that's the most terrifying!"

Brood rustled. Dozens of horrible glowing eyes turned to Nyx.

The goddess shifted uncomfortably, as if her chariot was heating up under her feet. Her shadow horses huffed and pawed at the void."

"My most terrifying Child?" Nyx asked.

"Yeah!" Percy added. "That would surely get you on the brochures. Whose your most terrifying child?"

"The darkest," I agreed. "The most like you."

"I am the darkest," hissed Eris. "Wars and strife! I have caused all manner of deaths!"

"I don't know," Percy muttered, "I met the twin sons of Ares: Phobos and Deimos, and their domains combine is darker than that."

"It's me," Geras snarled. "I dim the eyes and addle the brain. Every mortal fears dark age!"

"Yeah, yeah," I said trying to ignore my chattering teeth. "Not dark enough. I mean, all of you are children of Night! Show me dark!"

The horde of _arai_ wailed, flapping their leathery wings and stirring up clouds of blackness. Geras spread his withered hands and dimmed the entire abyss. Eris breathed a shadowy spray of buckshot across the void. Soon all of them were fighting around Nyx as the whole area was dark. I had to grab Percy's hand just to make sure he's still there."

"I am the darkest!"

"No, I!"

"No! Behold my darkness!"

"Wait!" Nyx called, suddenly panicked. "I can't see anything."

"Yes! I did that!"

"No, I did!"

"Fool, it was me!"

Dozens of voices argued in the darkness.

The horse whinnied in alarm.

"Stop it!" Nyx yelled. "Whose foot is that?"

"Eris is hitting me! Mother, tell her to stop hitting me!"

"I did _not_! Ouch!"

The sound of scuffling got louder. If possible, it seems the darkness became even deeper. My eyes dilated so much, they felt like they were being pulled out of their sockets.

"I squeezed Percy's hand. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?" I heard my boyfriend asked.

"To the palace of Nyx," I said, "According to Daedalus' laptop it leads to the Heart of Tartarus."

"Do you know how to get there?"

"I think so. But it requires us jumping off the cliff."

"Seriously?"

"Somebody give me light!" Nyx screamed, "Gah! I can't believe I just said that!"

"It's a trick! The demigods are escaping.

"I've got them."

"No, that's my neck!"

"Okay, let's do it!" Percy agreed.

I led him to the cliff and we leaped into the darkness, aiming for the palace of night—hopefully.


	55. Annabeth's POV Part XV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XV**

After our fall into Tartarus, jumping three hundred feet to the Mansion of Night should have felt quick.

Before we leaped, I had hoped and prayed that my estimates from the laptop was right and we would land at the entrance of the Mansion of Night. But now my heart seemed to slow down. Between the beats I had ample time to write my own obituary.

 _Annabeth Chase, died age either 16 or 17 (depending if my birthday, July 12, had passed while I was in Tartarus)._ '

BA-BOOM.

 _Died of massive injuries while leaping into the abyss of Chaos and spattering on the entry hall floor of Nyx mansion._

BA-BOOM.

 _Surviving Family: her father, stepmother, two stepbrothers, an uncle, an aunt, and a cousin_ (Assuming that my aunt uncle and cousin are still alive since I haven't seen them since I was seven).

BA-BOOM.

 _In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Camp Half-Blood, assuming Gaea hasn't already destroyed it._

I just hope I don't actually die before I need the obituary.

Fortunately, Percy and I hit solid floor with no massive injuries. We broke into a run, still holding hands.

Above us in the dark, Nyx and her children scuffled and yelled. "I've got them! My foot! Stop it!"'

I couldn't help but wonder if Nyx was really blinded by her own kids' darkness, or they were shuddering her with their own powers to get her attention. Either way, it did the trick.

We kept running, even though I had no idea where we're going by sight. I don't know about Percy, but I had my eyes closed, using my other senses to detect danger.

I remember back in the tunnels under Rome, searching for the Athena Parthenos. In retrospect, my journey to Arachne's cavern seemed like a trip to Disneyland.

The squabbling sounds of Nyx's children got farther away. That's good, but I don't know how long it would be until Nyx regain control over her children.

Percy was running at my side, still holding my hand, which was also good.

In the distance ahead of us, I started to hear a throbbing sound, like my own heartbeat echoing back, amplified so powerfully, the floor vibrated underfoot. The sound filled me with dread, so I figured it must be the right way to go. I ran toward it.

As the beat gold louder, I smelled smoke and heard flickering torches on either side.

"Don't open your eyes," Percy reminded me.

I nodded although I doubt he saw it. We were in the Mansion of night, which isn't meant for mortal eyes. Seeing what's inside would be worse than staring at the face of Medusa. Better to run in darkness.

The throbbing got louder still, sending vibrations straight up my spine. It felt like someone was knocking on the bottom of the world, demanding to let in. I sensed the walls opening up on either side of us. The air smelled fresher—or at least, not as quite sulfurous as before. There was another sound, too, closer than the deep pulsing of flowing water.

The exit must be close. We're almost out of the Mansion of Night

My heart raced as I began to run faster, which would of cost me my life if Percy hadn't stopped me


	56. Annabeth's POV Part XVI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XVI**

"Annabeth!" Percy pulled me back just before I was about to step off the ledge. He wrapped his arms around me keeping me from falling.

"It's okay," he promised.

I pressed my face into his shirt and kept my eyes closed tight. I was trembling, but not just from fear. Percy's embrace was so warm and comforting I wanted to stay there forever, safe and protected… but that wasn't reality. I couldn't afford to relax. I couldn't lean on Percy any more than I had to. He needed _me_ , as much as I needed _him_. We were supporting each other at this point after all.

"Thanks…" I gently disentangled myself from his arms. "Can you tell what's in front of us?"

"A river, I know that," Percy said. "I can't be certain, as I haven't open my eyes yet, but I think from the crying it's Acheron—the River of Pain."

Crying?

I listen carefully. Sure enough within the roaring current, thousands of voices cried out—shrieking in agony, pleading for mercy.

 _Help!_ _It was an accident!_

 _The pain! Make it stop!_

I doubt it was safe to open my eyes but I still can visualize the river full of tortured souls being swept deeper into Tartarus.

Percy's right. This was the River Acheron. The ultimate punishment for the souls—especially murderers.

I started picturing those who died because of me: Zoë Nighshade, who had been slain on Mount Tamalpais because she'd come to rescue me from the Titan.

Lee Fletcher—a son of Apollo—along with other campers who died in the Battle of the Labyrinth because I couldn't' stop Kronos from possessing Luke's body.

I saw Luke who died because I let Percy give him my knife to slay himself in order to stop Kronos.

 _Murder! Their blood is on your hands!_ The river wailed in my head—as if sensing what I was thinking. _You could of prevented all of this_. _You should jump in and join our punishment!_

I was attempted to, but Percy gripped my arm. "Don't listen."

"But—"

"I know." His voice sounded brittle as ice. "They're telling me the same stuff. But right now I think we need to cross it to leave Night's territory."

"How? Do you know how far it is to the other side?" I asked.

"Not sure—maybe twenty feet. There's no bridge, but maybe I can use my thermos to propel us there." Percy said.

The idea sound crazy, but I heard voices behind us that changed my mind: "Kill the ungrateful tourists!"

Great! It seems Nyx has regain control over her children and now they're chasing us.

"Okay, let's do it," I agreed.

"Climb on my back," Percy said.

I did so, using my sense of touch. Then Percy kneeled down and I would guess aim his thermos. Sure enough, I heard the familiar roar of a blast of water firing out of Percy's thermos, as if pressurize water was suddenly released all at once. We were rocketed to the air avoiding the river Acheron.

Then— _CLUMP._ We landed on solid ground.

"It's safe to open your eyes," Percy said, breathing hard "But you won't like what you see.

I blinked. After the darkness of Nyx, even the dim red glow of Tartarus seemed blinding.

Before us stretched a valley big enough to fit the San Francisco Bay. The booming noise came from the entire landscape, as if thunder were echoing from beneath the ground. Under poisonous clouds, the rolling terrain glistening purple with dark red and blue scar lines.

"It's looks like…" I fought down my revulsion. "Like a giant heart."

"The heart of Tartarus," Percy murmured. "The Doors must not be far from here."

Sure enough, in the center of the valley was covered with a fine black fuzz of peppery dots. They were so far away, but I quickly realized I was looking at an army—thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of monsters, gathered around a central pinpoint of darkness. It was too far to see any details, but I had no doubt those were the Doors of Death. Even from here, I could feel it's power tugging at my soul.

"Those must be it," I said.

"Yeah." Percy's voice was hoarse. He still had the pale wasted complexion of a corpse… which meant he looked about as good as I felt. Percy studied his more solid form. "Maybe I should try the myrmekes gunk again… you know, to complete the appearance."

I nodded as Percy had a point. As sad as it is to see him like this now, some of the smarter monsters might find it odd that Percy was more solid looking than me. I took out the Myrmekes gunk from my bag and handed it to him.

As Percy complete his transformation, I look back behind us, worried that Nyx's children were still following us.

To my amazement, it looked like we were hurled several hundred yards from the Acheron, which flowed through a channel cut into black volcanic hills. Beyond that was nothing but darkness.

No sign of anyone coming after us. Apparently even the minions of Night didn't like to cross the Acheron.

"Well, what do you think?" I heard Percy asked.

I turned to my boyfriend and almost started laughing. Apparently Percy thought it was a good idea to use what was left of Myrmekes gunk like a full body war paint, because now he looked like a rotting corpse that had just crawled through layers of greyish mud. I don't even want to know how he pulled off being able to do that in the short amount of time I wasn't looking.

"I think you might have over done it," I said.

Percy examined himself. "At least now I smell as dead as I looked."

I was about to say something when I heard the skittering of a rockslide in the hills to our left. I drew my drakon-bone sword, and Percy uncapped Riptide.

A patch of glowing white hair appeared over the ridge with two shadowy figures with a hundred arms each. Each of them were grinning when they saw us.

"Bob? Cottus? Gyges?" I was so happy I actually jumped. "Oh my gods!"

"Friends!" The Titan was the first to lumbered toward us. His clothes looked like they been slashed with something with claws, but he looked delighted. On his shoulder, Small Bob the kitten purred almost as loudly as the pulsing heart of Tartarus.

Cottus and Gygess followed Bob. Both were in the same condition as Bob, but other than that, they looked glad to finally find us.

"We found you," Cottus said.

"Percy, what happened to you?" Gyges asked seeing Percy's little artwork on himself.

"Oh, ah—the Death Mist transformation wasn't complete for me—I think it's because of the Achilles curse," Percy explained, "so I decided to cover myself in Myrmekes gunk."

Bob nodded. "Annabeth still looks like smoking dead people, and you smell like dead people, so that's good!"

"How did you guys get here?" I asked.

"There was another route that Titans, Giants and Monsters could take," Cottus said.

"So, do we stay together?" Bob asked.

"Yes," Annabeth agreed. "Time to see if this Death Mist and Percy's full body Myrmekes gunk war paint works. Otherwise…"

I stopped cold from there, but I didn't need to finish. We were about to march into the middle of an army of enemy monsters. If we were spotted, we would really have ended up dead.

Percy grabbed my hand reassuringly. "It will work. It has too."

I nodded as Percy was right. We had Bob and two of the Hundred Handed ones covering for us. I still wish Damasen was still here, but it's too late to turn back to find him now. "Alright! Doors of Death, here we come."


	57. Jason's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part V**

I wasn't sure what to hope for: storm or fire.

As I waited for my daily audience with the lord of the South Winds (Because Zethes said we should see him), I tried to decide which of the god's personalities, Roman or Greek, was worse. Why can't the Southern Wind God be more like Favonius and not come in two different forms. I do know one thing, though: after five days in the palace, I was only certain about one thing: my crew and I were unlikely to get out of here alive.

I leaned against the balcony rail. The air was so hot and dry, it sucked the moisture right out of my lungs. Over the last week, my skin had gotten darker. My hair had turned as white as corn silk. Whenever I glanced in the mirror, I was startled by the wild, empty look in my eyes as if I'd gone blind wandering in the desert

A hundred feet below, the bay glittered against a crescent of red sand beach. We were somewhere on the northern coast of Africa. That's as much as the wind spirit would tell me.

The palace itself stretched out on either side of me—a honeycomb of halls and tunnels, balconies, colonnades, and cavernous rooms carved into the sandstone cliffs, all designed for the wind to blow through and make as much noise as possible. The constant pipe-organ sounds reminded me of the floating lair of Aeolus, back in Colorado, except here the winds seemed in no hurry.

Which was part of my problem.

On their best days, the southern _venti_ was slow and lazy. On their worst days, they were gusty and angry. They'd initially welcomed the _Argo II_. When they heard we were brought here no thanks to Khione, they assumed we were enemies of Boreas, which made us friends with them (we decided not to bring up the fact that the Boreads actually recommend them). But now, they seemed to have forgotten that the demigods were their guests. The _venti_ had quickly lost interest in helping repair the ship. The king's mood got worse every day.

Their king doesn't seem as skizophrenic as I thought he would be. In fact, the two personas seem to be in more control than I thought they would be. It's not like Favonius, who only suffers headaches and minor transformations, but the south wind isn't like how Khione described Boreas' condition. That's probably why Zethes recommended him despite the fact that the southern winds and northern winds are enemies.

Down at the docks, my friends were working on the _Argo II_. The main sail had been repaired, the rigging replaced. Now they were mending the oars. Without Leo, we were unable to repair the more complicated parts of the ship, even with the help of Buford the table and Festus (who was now permanently activated thanks to Piper's charmspeak—and _none_ of us understood that). But we kept trying.

Hazel and Frank stood at the helm, tinkering with Leo's complicated controls. Piper relay their commands to Coach Hedge, who was hanging over the side of the ship, banging out dents in the oars. Hedge was well suited for banging on things.

They didn't seem to be making much progress, but considering what we'd been through, it was a miracle the ship was in one piece.

I shivered when I thought about Khione's attack. I'd been render frozen solid and helpless not once but _twice_ , while Leo was blasted into the sky and Piper was forced to save us.

At first I was jealous over the fact that Zethes left his sword for Piper, but considering Zethes and his twin brother Cal was willing to help Piper stop Khione, even when things look helpless, I decided to keep it to myself.

Piper considered herself a failure for not having stopped the wind bomb from exploding; but the truth was, she'd saved the entire crew from becoming ice sculptures in Quebec.

Not to mention after the icy sphere exploded, she managed to redirect the explosion so the ship only sustained relatively minor damage.

Down at the dock, Hedge yelled, "Try it now!"

Hazel and Frank pulled some of the levers. The port oars went crazy, chopping up and down and ding the wave. Coach Hedge tried to dodge, but one smacked him in the rear and launched him into the air. He came down screaming and splashed into the bay.

I sighed. At this rate, we'd never be able to sail, even if the southern _venti_ allowed us to. Somewhere in the North, Reyna was flying toward Epirus, assuming she'd gotten my note at Diocletian's Palace. According to Piper, Leo was stuck on some enchanted island with a goddess who apparently like a specific type of heroes Leo is not. Percy and Annabeth… well, best-case scenario they were still alive, making their way to the Doors of Death. I couldn't let them down.

A rustling sound made me turn. Nico di Angelo stood in the shadow of the nearest column. He'd shed his jacket. Now he just wore his black T-shirt and black jeans. His sword and the scepter of Diocletian hung on either side of his belt.

Every once in a while either Hazel or Nico would take turns checking on me for any word from the king. Hazel has improved on her shadow traveling, that it was almost second nature to her. Hazel even had hoped to one day try it with Arion, to see how powerful the two really can be with Arion's speed, and her magic. I have the feeling that when Hazel do, I don't think even the wind gods could stop them.

Days in the hot sun hadn't tanned _his_ skin. If, anything, he looked paler. His dark hair fell over his eyes. His face was still gaunt, but he was definitely in better shape than when we'd left Croatia. He had regained enough weight not to look starved. His arms were surprisingly taunt with muscles, as if he'd spent the past week sword fighting. Maybe he been practicing raising spirits with the Diocletian's scepter, then sparing with them. After our expedition in Split, nothing would surprise me.

"Any word from the king?" Nico asked.

I shook my head. "Every day, he calls for me later and later."

"We need to leave and soon," Nico said. "Percy is close to the Doors. He'll need us if he's going it make it through alive."

That was news to me. I noticed Nico didn't mention Annabeth, but I didn't bring it up."

"All right," I said. "But if we can't repair the ship—"

"I swore on the river Styx that I'd lead you guys to the House of Hades," Nico said. "And I will, one way or another."

"You can't shadow-travel with all of us. And it _will_ take all of us to reach the Doors of Death."

The orb at the end of Diocletian's scepter glowed purple. Over the past week, it seemed to have aligned with Nico's moods. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"Then you've _got_ to convince the king of the South Wind to help." Nico's voice seethed with anger. "I didn't come all this way, suffer so many humiliations…"

I had to make a conscious effort not to reach for my sword. Whenever Nico got angry, all of my instincts screamed, _Danger!_

Frank warned me what Hazel told him about Children of Hades and Pluto having the fatal flaw of holding grudges, and I really don't want Nico to hold a grudge against me.

"Look, Nico," I said. "I'm here if you want to talk about, you know, what happened in Croatia. I get how difficult—"

"You don't get anything."

"Nobody's going to judge you."

Nico's mouth twisted into a sneer. "Really? That would be the first. I'm the son of _Hades_ , Jason. I might as well be covered in blood or sewage; the way people treat me. I don't belong anywhere. I'm not even from this _century_. But even that's not enough to set me apart. I've got to be—to be—"

"Dude! It's not like you've got a choice. It's just who you are."

I quickly regretted saying those words. The balcony started trembling from Nico's anger at this point. Patterns shifted in the stone floor, like bones coming to the surface. "Just who I am? That's easy for you to say. You're everybody's golden boy, the son of _Jupiter_. The only person who ever knew about me and accepted it was Bianca. Yet she _chooses_ to join _your_ sister in becoming a maiden hunter of Artemis. I didn't have that choice!"

I tried to think of something to say. I wanted to be Nico's friend. I knew that was the only way to help. But Nico wasn't making it easy.

Finally, I raised my hands in submission. "Yeah, okay. But, Nico, you _do_ choose how to live your life, just as Bianca did. You need to start trusting someone. Trust me if you want to. I'm really your friend, and I'll accept you. Not to mention you also have Hazel who cared about you as her brother enough to agree to lead a search party for you back in Rome before we even know where the giants were keeping you. You don't have to be alone just because Bianca joined the Hunter. Having friends, you can trust is better than running away from both camps due to your fear of being rejected. You're right, you're not from this century, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Things have changed since the 1940s."

Nico held my glance for an unbearable long time. I'm starting to really regret my choice of words. Finally, Nico dropped his gaze.

"I'm going to honor my promise," Nico said, not much louder than a whisper. "I'll take you to Epirus. I'll help you close the Doors of Death. Then that's it. I'm leaving—forever-."

Behind them, the doors of the throne room blasted open with a gust of scorching air.

A disembodied voice said: _Lord Auster will see you now_.

As much as I dreaded the meeting, I felt relieved. At the moment, arguing with a crazy wind god seemed safer than befriending an angry son of Hades. Even if it's with Auster, who isn't exactly the best persona of the Lord of the Southern winds. I turned to tell Nico good-bye, but Nico had already melted back into the darkness.


	58. Jason's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part VI**

The past several days, I been called to the palace when the Lord of the Southern Wind is at the most stable, and kicked out when he couldn't keep himself together.

From what I understand, since this palace was the original home of the Southern Winds, the South Wind is more stable here and that they weren't in war with each other as long as they're here. And yet, every time I visit the South Wind, he's either in Greek or Roman form.

From what I understand I was the cause of it. Because I haven't chosen to be a Greek or stay Roman that I was raised to be, I keep encountering either or.

That's why today seem to be a _storm_ day. Which means Auster, the Roman version of the South Wind, was holding court.

The two previous days, I had dealt with Notus, the Greek version of the South Wind. While Notus was fiery and quick to anger, at least he was _quick_. Auster… well, not so much.

White and red marble columns lined the throne room. The rough sandstone floor smoked under my shoes. Steam hung in the air, like the bathhouse back at Camp Jupiter, except bathhouses usually didn't have thunderstorms crackling across the ceiling, lighting the room in disorienting flashes.

Southern _venti_ swirled through the hall in clouds of red dust and superheated air. I was careful to stay away from them. On my first day here, I'd accidentally brushed my hand through one. I'd gotten so many blisters, my fingers looked like tentacles.

At the end of the room was the strangest throne I had ever seen—made of equal parts fire and water. The dais was a bonfire. Flames and smoke curled up to form a seat. The back of the chair was a churning storm cloud. The armrests sizzled where moisture met fire. It didn't look very comfortable, but the god Auster lounged on it like he was ready for an easy afternoon of watching football.

Standing up, he would have been about ten feet tall. The crown of steam wreathed his shaggy white hair. His beard was made of clouds, constantly popping with lightning and raining down on the god's chest, soaking his sand-colored toga. I wondered if you could shave a thundercloud beard. I thought it might be annoying to rain on yourself all the time, but Auster didn't seem to care. He reminded me of a soggy Santa Clause, but lazier than jolly.

"So…" the god's voice rumbled like an oncoming front. "The son of Jupiter returns."

Auster made it sound like I was late, which got on my nerve. I been waiting several hours of every day outside to be called, but I just bowed.

"My lord," I said. "Have you received any news of my friend?"

"Friend?"

"Leo Valdez," I said at the verge of losing my patience. "The one who was taken by Khione: daughter of Boreas."

 _And at the time Zethes and Cal_ , I thought, but I kept that to myself.

"Oh… yes. Or rather, no. We had no word of his disembarked from—where did you say he landed?"

"Ogygia," I said. "Home of Calypso."

"Oh yes. Or rather, no. It is hard to tell what goes on at Ogygia, since the magic there is strong enough to keep the sorceress there and out of communications unless a god visits there personally."

I'm really starting to get tired of this guy. If it wasn't for Notus informing me of the magic of this place that keeps Notus and Auster from going to war with each other, I would demand Auster go and find out himself. But still, I would think Auster had some way of checking on the island. And even if of the two forms did find something out, it's not like they pass on the information to the other form.

So, say Notus found out something about Leo's location since I last talk to him, Auster wouldn't be aware of it. Which is why I had hope that Auster might of found out something as well.

"My lord, we really need to get our ship out of the harbor," I said.

"Ship in the harbor!" The god leaned back and chuckled, rain pouring out of his beard. "You know the _last_ time mortal ships came into my harbor? A king of Libya… Psyollos was his name. He blamed _me_ for the scorching winds that burned his crops. Can you believe it?"

I gritted my teeth trying to stay calm. This was what Auster was like in his rainy form, sluggish and warm and random.

"And did you burn those crops, my lord?"

"Of course!" Auster smiled good naturedly. "But what did Psyollos expect, planting crops at the edge of the Sahara? The fool launched his entire fleet against me. He intended to destroy my stronghold so the south wind could never blow again. I destroyed his fleet, of course."

"Of course."

Auster narrowed his eyes. "You aren't with Psyollos, are you?"

"No, Lord Auster. I'm Jason Grace, son of—"

"Jupiter! Yes, of course. I like sons of Jupiter. But why are you still in my harbor?"

I suppressed a sigh. "We don't have your permission to leave, my lord. Also, our ship is damaged. We need our mechanic, Leo Valdez, to repair the engine, unless you know of another way."

"Hmm." Auster held up his fingers and let a dust of devil swirl between them like a baton. "You know; people accuse me of being fickle. Some days I am the scorching wind, the destroyer of crops, the sirocco from Africa! Other days I am gentle, heralding the warm summer rains and cooling fogs of the southern Mediterranean. And in the off season, I have a lovely place in Cancun! At any rate, in ancient times, mortals both feared and love me. For a god, unpredictability can be a strength."

"Then you are truly strong," I said.

"Thank you! Yes! But the same is not true of demigods." Auster leaned forward, close enough that I could smell rain-soaked fields and hot sandy beaches. "You remind me of my own children, Jason Grace. You have blown from place to place. You are undecided. You change day to day. If you could turn the wind stock, which way would it blow?"

Sweat trickled between my shoulder blades. "Excuse me?"

"You say you need a navigator. You need my permission. I say you need neither. It is time to choose a direction. A wind that blows aimlessly is of no use to anyone."

I started to understand. For months, I had been wrestling with the question of where I belonged. I'd always chafed against the traditions of Camp Jupiter, the power plays, the infighting. But Reyna was a good person. She needed my help. I turned my back on her… someone like Octavian could take over and ruin everything I _did_ love about New Rome. Could I be so selfish as to leave? The very idea crushed me with guilt.

But my heart, I _wanted_ to be at Camp Half-Blood. The months I'd spent there with Piper and Leo had felt more satisfying. It felt more _right_ than all my years at Camp Jupiter. Besides, at Camp Half-Blood, there was at least a _chance_ I meet my father someday. The gods hardly ever stopped by Camp Jupiter to say hello.

I took a shaky breath. "Yes. I know the direction I want to take."

"Good!"

"But we still need a way to fix the ship. Is there—?"

Auster raised an index finger. "Still expecting guidance from the wind lords? A son of Jupiter should know better."

I thought back to what Nico said about Percy and Annabeth being close to the Doors of Death. If they are, we _need_ to leave today.

"We're leaving, Lord Auster. Today."

The wind god grinned and spread his hands. "At last, you announced your purpose! Then you have my permission to go, tough you do not need it. And how will you sail without your engineer, without your engines fixed.

I felt the south winds zipping around me, whinnying in challenge like headstrong mustang, testing my will.

All week I had been waiting, hoping Auster or Notus or both would decide to help. For months I had worried about my obligations to Camp Jupiter, hoping my path would become clear. Now, I realized, I simply had to take what I wanted. I had to control the winds, not the other way around.

"You're going to help us," I said. "Your _venti_ can take form of horses. You'll give us a team to pull the _Argo II_. They'll lead us to wherever Leo is."

"Wonderful!" Auster beamed, his beard flashing with electricity. "Now… can you make good on those bold words? Can you control what you ask for, or will you be torn apart?"

The god clapped his hands. Winds swirled around his throne and took the form of horses. These weren't like my friend Tempest. They weren't dark and cold. These South Wind horses were made of fire, sand, and hot thunderstorm. Four of them raced past, their heat singeing the hair off my arms. They galloped around the marble columns, spitting flames, neighing with a sound like sandblasters. The more they ran, the wilder they became. They started to eye me.

Auster stroke his rainy beard. "Do you know why the _venti_ can appear as horses, my boy? Every so often, we wind gods travel the earth in equine form. We even often pull your father's chariot if necessary. On occasion, we've been known to sire the fastest of all the horses."

"Didn't Poseidon created horses," I responded.

"Yes, yes, the lord of the sea did created the first breed of horses," Auster said, "In fact some of my equine children of Neptune. But I'm not the type to avoid horses just because of some feud between Neptune and your father."

"Too much information," I said.

One of the _venti_ charged at me. I ducked aside, my clothes smoking from the close call.

"Even with that, mortals have often recognized our divine blood," Auster continued cheerfully. "They will say, _That horse runs like the wind_. And for a good reason. Like most of the fastest mortal stallions, the _venti_ are our children!"

The wind horses began to circle me.

"Like my friend Tempest," I ventured.

"Oh, well…" Auster scowled. "I fear that one is a child of Boreas. How you tamed him, I will never know. These are my own offspring, a fine team of southern winds. Control them, Jason Grace, and they will pull your ship from the harbor."

Control them, I thought. Yeah, right.

They ran back and forth, working up a frenzy. Like their master, the South Wind, they were conflicted—half hot, dry sirocco, half stormy thunderhead.

I need speed, I thought. I need purpose.

I envisioned Notus, the Greek version of the South Wind—blistering hot, but very fast.

In that moment, I _choose_ Greek. I threw in my lot in Camp Half-Blood—and the horses changed. The storm clouds inside burn away, leaving nothing but red dust and shimmering heat, like the mirages on the Sahara.

"Well done," said the god.

On the throne now sat Notus—a bronze-skinned old man in a fiery Greek _chiton_ , his head crowned with a wreathed of withered, smoking barley. Unlike the past two times I met Notus, he seemed less on edge and more even out, as if my choice was what he and Auster been waiting for this whole time.

"What are you waiting for?" the god prompted.

I turned toward the fiery wind steeds. Suddenly I wasn't afraid of them.

I thrust my hand out. A swirl of dust shot toward the nearest horse. A lasso—a rope of wind, more tightly wound than any tornado—wrapped around the horse's neck. The wind formed a halter and brought the beast to a stop.

I summoned another wind rope. I lashed a second horse, binding it to my will. In less than a minute, I had tethered all four _venti_. I reined them in, still whinnying and bucking, but they couldn't break my ropes. It felt like flying four kites in a strong wind—hard, yes, but not impossible.

"Very good, Jason Grace," Notus said. "You are a son of Jupiter, yet you have chosen your own path—as all the greatest demigods have done before you. You cannot control your parentage, but you _can_ choose your legacy. Now, go. Lash your team to the prow and direct them to Matla. Once there, you must arrive in the city of Valleta. After that, you will no longer need these horses and they will return home on their own if _they_ choose."

"You mean…" I was in shock but I started to understand. "We'll find Leo there/"

The god shimmered, slowly fading into waves of heat. "Your destiny grows clearer, Jason Grace. When the choice comes again—storm or fire—remember me. And do not despair."

The doors of the throne room burst open. The horses, smelling freedom, bolted for the exit, I didn't stop them this time, as I had what I need and then some, unfortunately. But I did try to control them so I could get them to the _Argo II._

* * *

 **A/N:** For those who might be confused about this chapter because of the last chapter, I changed a few things in 'Jason's POV Part V' so it go along with this chapter


	59. Jason's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part VII**

At sixteen, most kids would stress about parallel parking test, getting a driver's license, and affording a car.

Not me—at least not right now. Right now, I had to stress about controlling a team of fiery horses with wind ropes.

After making sure my friends were aboard and safely below deck, I lashed the _venti_ to the prow of the _Argo II_ (which Festus was _not_ happy about), straddled the figure head, and yelled, "Giddyup!"

The _venti_ tore across the waves. They weren't quite as fast as Hazel's horse, Arion, but they had a lot more heat. They kicked up a rooster tail of steam that made it impossible for me to see where we were going. The ship shot out of the bay. In no time Africa was a hazy line on the horizon behind them.

Maintaining the wind ropes took all of my concentration and keeping the horses in check took all of my strength. The horses strained to break free and only my will power kept them from doing so.

 _Malta,_ I ordered. _Straight to Malta._

By the time land finally appeared in the distance—a hilly island carpeted with low stone buildings—I was soaked in sweat. My arms felt rubbery like I'd been holding a barbell straight out in front of me.

I hoped we'd reached the right place because I don't think I can hold on much longer.

As soon as the docks were in view I released the wind reins. The _venti_ scattered into particles of sand and steam.

Exhausted, I climbed down from the prow. I leaned against Festus' neck. The dragon turned and gave me a chin hug.

"Thanks, man," I said. "Rough day, huh?"

Behind me, the latch to below decks creaked open and Piper climbed out.

"Jason?" Piper called. "Oh, gods, your arms."

I hadn't noticed, but my skin was dotted with blisters.

Piper took out a canteen of nectar and poured them on my arms. Sure enough a moment after the nectar touched my skin, the blisters disappeared.

"Thanks, Pipes," I muttered. "How long was I—?"

"About six hours."

Wow. No wonder I felt sore and hungry. "The others?"

"All fine. Tired of being cooped up. Should I tell them it's safe to come above deck?"

I licked my lips. I was still tired from holding the _venti_ in pace for so long and I felt shaky. I didn't want the others to see me like this.

"Give me a second to rest up," I said. "I didn't think keeping four _venti_ tied up would use so much energy."

Piper leaned next to me. In her green tank top, her beige shorts, and her hiking boots, she looked like she was ready to climb a mountain—and then fight an army at the top. Her dagger and new sword was strapped to her belt on both sides. Her cornucopia was slung over one shoulder.

During our time at Auster's palace, I had watched Piper and Hazel spend hours sword fighting—something Piper had never been interested in before. I get why Hazel agreed to teach her since I been teaching Frank. But ever since her encounter with Khione, Piper seemed more wired, tensed up inside like a primed catapult, as if she were determined never to be caught off guard again.

I understood the feeling, but I was worried that she was being too harsh on herself. Nobody could be ready for anything all the time. I should know. I'd spent the last fight as a freeze dried throw rug.

I must have been staring, because Piper gave me a knowing smirk. "Hey, I'm fine. _We're_ fine."

She perched on her tiptoes and kissed me, which felt as good as any godly food or drink. Her eyes were flickering between green, blue and brown to where I could just stare into them all day, studying the changing patterns, the way people watched the northern lights.

"I'm lucky to have you," I admitted.

"Yeah, you are." She pushed my chest gently. "Any signs of Leo yet?"

I shook my head. "No, but we just got here, so I haven't had time to look. Maybe if we somehow get the ship to move alongside the shore line we can find signs of him."

Just as I said that, Festus faced the front and blew a plume of fire. The ship's engine clattered and hum. It sounded like a massive bike with a busted chain—but we lurched forward. Slowly the _Argo II_ turned to its starboard side and started moving parallel with the docks close to the shore.

"Good dragon." Piper patted Festus' neck.

The dragon's ruby eyes glinted as if he was pleased with himself.

"He's seems more alive since you woke him," I said.

"That's the way he _should_ be." Piper smiled. "I guess once in a while we all need a wake-up call from somebody who loves us."

Standing next to her, I felt so good, I could almost imagine our future together in Camp Half-Blood, once the war was over—assuming we lived and there was still a camp to return to.

 _When the choice comes again,_ Notus had said, _storm or fire—remember me. And do not despair_.

The closer we got to Greece, the more dread settled in my chest. I was starting to think Piper was right about the _storm or fire_ line in the prophecy—either Leo or me would not come back from this voyage alive.

Which was why we _had_ to find Leo. As much as I loved my life, I couldn't let my friends die for my sake. I could never live with the guilt.

Of course I hoped I was wrong. I hoped both of us came out of this quest alive. But if not, I had to be prepared. I would protect my friends and stop Gaea—whatever it took.

 _Do not despair_.

Yeah. Easy for an immortal wind god to say.

I scanned the island for any sign of Leo. The rocky shoreline rose fortress-like sea walls—fifty or sixty feet tall. Above that sprawled a medieval looking city of church spires, domes, and tightly wedged buildings, all made of the same golden stone. From where I stood, it looked as if the city covered every inch of the island.

Then I saw it. Tied at the very end of the longest dock we were passing, was makeshift raft with a simple mast, a square canvas sail. There was some baggage's there, as if someone decided to leave their stuff on the raft for the time being. On the back, the rudder was wired to some sort of shield with a mirror attach and wires hanging out. Even from this distance, I could see the glint of Celestial bronze.

I grinned. I didn't know what the deal was with the baggage's but only one demigod I know would make a boat like that, and he'd moored it as far out in the harbor as possible, where the _Argo II_ couldn't fail to spot it.

"Get the others," I told Piper. "Leo is here."


	60. Jason's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Jason's POV Part VIII**

As expected at this point, we did find Leo on the island. What none of us expected was finding him having a date with a girl none of us have met before at an open air café.

We found Leo and his mystery girlfriend at the top of the city fortifications. They were sitting at an open-air café, overlooking the sea, drinking a cup of coffee. They weren't holding hands, but every once in a while, when they think no one was looking, they would stare into each other's eyes and smiled like they had a secret relationship with each other.

The girl was pretty. I'll say that much. She had caramel color hair and dark almond eyes. She had a milky complexion. She was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans that looked like they were freshly new and hand made. At the same time I could sense that this girl wasn't human—at least, not a mortal human being. But since she's not killing Leo, I decided to question about it later.

Leo on other hand was dressed in identical clothes he worn the day we'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood—jeans, a white shirt, and an old army jacket. Except, I was certain that jacket had burned up months ago

. By his side was a large basketball shape celestial bronze sphere that I recognized as the Archimedes' sphere.

The girl with Leo was the first to noticed us and informed Leo. He looked up and gave us a crocodile grin. "Hey, guys! About time you find me!"

Piper ran over and nearly knocked him out of his chair with a sisterly hug.

Coach Hedge grinned for a bit before remembering he was supposed to be protecting Leo when he escaped and forced a scowled. "Valdez, if you ever disappeared like that again, you little punk, I'll knock you into the next month!"

"Right, sorry! Calypso and I would of meet you guys at the _Argo II_ , but the raft brought us here," Leo said.

"Calypso?" Piper turned to the girl at the other side of the table. "You're Calypso?"

The girl nodded trying to hide what I can guess was a jealous look toward Piper for the hug earlier. "That's right. You guys must be the friends Leo told me about."

"Oh yeah," Leo said. "This is Piper: Daughter of Aphrodite, and the blonde hair guy with the scar on his lip is Jason: son of Jupiter. The African American girl there is Hazel: daughter of Pluto, the pale kid next to her is Nico: son of Hades and Hazel's brother, the big burly guy there is Frank: Son of Mars and legacy of Poseidon, and the satyr that threatened me is our chaperone: Gleeson Hedge but we normally call him Coach Hedge."

We all greeted Calypso, some of us more friendly than Piper was. We each grabbed a chair as Leo and Calypso regale their time together in Ogygia. At first it seems Khione was right about Leo never getting off the island, but as time passed Leo and Calypso started working together—well, the rest came to be obvious.

I was mostly impressed when Leo brought up how Calypso stood up against Gaea.

"Sorry, for the mean greeting," Piper apologized to Calypso, "Just after our encounter Khione told me, I didn't know what to think."

"At least you're not dead," Hazel said.

"Maybe now we can get the ship fixed," Frank grunted.

Leo's eyes flashed with concern when he heard that. "What did that snow witch did to my ship?"

We gave Leo the extent damage we were aware of and how we were blown to Notus' castle.

"That explains why we saw _venti_ that didn't attack us," Calypso said. "They must have been scouting for Leo."

"What happened to Khione then?" Leo asked. "I would have thought she would take Jason.

Coach Hedge snorted. "What happened? _Piper_ happened! I'm telling you, this girl has skills!"

Hedge tried to retell the story with how Piper was some kind of kong fu assassin and there being more than two Boreads, but Piper stopped him.

"Coach!" she said. "It didn't happened like that at all. I couldn't have done _anything_ if Zethes and Cal didn't decide on their own to help out and Festus."

Leo raised his eyebrows. "But Festus was deactivated."

"Um, about that," Piper said. "I sort of woke him up."

Piper explained her version of events—how she'd convince the Boreads to help her and rebooted the metal dragon with charmspeak.

Calypso nodded toward the end. "I heard of powerful magic that can permanently wake up automatons, but this is the first time I met someone who could do that. Your charmspeak must have been _very_ powerful."

Piper turned pink with embarrassment.

During the whole time we talk, I noticed that Nico stood at the edge of the group, eyeing the passing pedestrians as if they might be enemies.

"So why are you here?" Frank asked. "No offense, but I thought you would stop at the _Argo II_."

"Actually, Calypso has a theory on that," Leo said.

Calypso nodded. "Before I lived in Ogygia—before the first Titan war—I lived in the island chain around here where I lived. I think our raft was especially enchanted to bring me here—where it all started."

"To start your new journey just as your old journey did," Nico said.

Calypso nodded.

"Well, since we're together, we better get going," Leo said. "We need to get Calypso's luggage on board of the _Argo II_ , and there's of course the living arrangements…"

"She can sleep in my cabin," Hazel offered, "That is of course if you don't mind a roommate."

Calypso smiled. "Thank you, Hazel."

"Great!" Leo said. "As soon as we're done with that, I'll get started in fixing the ship and checking on Festus. Then we're off to punch a certain earth goddess in the face and save our friends!"

Leo spread his hands and grinned. I couldn't help but noticed that Leo seemed happier than usual with Calypso with him.

I got up and clapped Leo on the shoulder. "Leo's right. We should get going."

Everybody took the cue. We started wrapping up our food and finishing their drinks.

Suddenly, Hazel gasped. "Guys…"

She pointed to the northeast horizon. At first, I saw nothing but the sea. Then a streak of darkness shot into the air like black lightning—as if pure night had torn through daytime.

"I don't see anything," Coach Hedge grumbled.

"Me neither," Piper said.

I scanned my friend's faces. Most of them just looked confused. Nico and Calypso seemed to be the only ones who noticed the black lightning.

"That can't be…" Nico muttered. "Greece is still hundreds of miles away."

"Gaea—she must be organizing the final break out," Calypso said.

The darkness flashed again, momentarily leaching the color from the sky.

"Are you saying this is coming from Epirus?" My whole skeleton tingled, the way I felt when I got hit by a thousand volts. I didn't know why I could see the dark flashes. I wasn't a child of the Underworld, or an immortal titaness. But it gave me a very bad feeling.

Nico nodded. "The House of Hades is open for business."

A few seconds later, a rumbling sound washed over us like distant artillery.

"This isn't good," Hazel said, "Gaea must of found out that Calypso is with us."

"Why?" Piper asked. "No offense, but I thought only gods and demigods can defeat the Giants."

"That's only partly true," Calypso said, "Truth is any immortal being that teamed up with a demigod can destroy a giant—no matter if they're a Titan, a god, or if by chance another Giant."

"Even if that's true—" Nico said, "By the time we arrive at the House of Hades, there'll be too many monsters to fight. They'll make it harder for us to reach the Doors of Death."

I set my jaw. "But we got to. Percy and Annabeth are waiting for us."

Is it me or Calypso flinched a little when I mention Percy's name?

Leo took her hand reassuringly before turning to us. "Then we better hurry up! It's time to fly!"


	61. Percy's POV Part XIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XIII**

Okay, so maybe I did overdo it with the Myrmekes gunk by covering myself with it head to toe. But it seems to be working as much as Annabeth's full Death Mist transformation.

As we trudged toward the heart of Tartarus, I wondered how long the Death Mist will last after we make it to the mortal world. I hope instantly, because I know Annabeth and I don't want to spend the remainder of our quest looking like an extra from _The Walking Dead._

Well, at least not permanently.

I tried to scan the area to keep my mind off of the Death Mist, but there was no safe direction to look.

Under my feet, the ground glistened a nauseating purple, pulsing with webs and veins. In the dim red light of the blood clouds, Death Mist Annabeth looked like a freshly risen zombie.

Ahead of us was the most depressing view of all.

Spread to the horizon was an army of monsters—flocks of winged _arai_ , tribes of lumbering Rogue Cyclopes, clusters of floating evil spirits. Thousands of baddies, maybe _tens_ of thousands, all milling restlessly, pressing against one another, glowing and fighting for space—like the locker area of an overcrowded school between classes, if all the students were 'roid-raging mutants who smelled really bad.

I can't help but let my guard up. Among those crowds of monsters were some Annabeth and I had destroyed ourselves.

Cottus and Gyges led us toward the edge of the army since Bob would be considered an enemy to some of these monsters. I tried to use the Mist to make it hard to identified Bob, a silver glowing Titan wasn't easy for a mortal demigod to disguise with the Mist. Finally, Bob decided to use his shapeshifting ability himself to make himself look less like a Titan. Turns out Titans had the same shapeshifting ability as the gods.

"Sorry about this Bob," I said.

"It's okay," Bob replied. "I understand. I'm now an enemy among my brethren."

"Well, to the Titans who stayed loyal to Kronos," I said, "There might be some of the friendlier Titans down here too who might not see you as their enemy."

Bob nodded but to be honest, I don't know how much of it was true. I don't know how many Titan's opinions had been changed before the second Titan War. Yes, you have the more peaceful ones like Helios, and Selene. But they disappeared before the Second Titan War and I don't know how many of them are still peaceful.

"We need to stay quiet," Gyges advised us.

No one argued against it, although most monsters did stay clear of us. Most of the humanoid monsters were covering their noses when they backed off.

On Bob's shoulder, Small Bob woke up from a nap. He purred seismically and arched his back, turning skeletal then back to Calico.

Annabeth examined her own zombie hands. "Bob, Gyges, Cottus… if I'm invisible… how can you three see us?"

"The Death Mist doesn't make you completely invisible," Cottus said, "Just as invisible as a ghost in the mortal world."

"But I thought you said it would make us invisible?" I asked.

"Technically you are in demigod terms," Gyges said. "As far as the other monsters are aware of, you two are just two Ghouls that Gaea summoned."

I'm starting to like this plan less and less, but I decided not to question it.

"Let's go," Bob said. "Death is close."

"The _Doors_ of Death are close," Annabeth corrected. "Let's watch the phrasing."

We plunged into the large crowd of monsters. I'll admit, I never saw an army of monsters this big, and I fought an army of them during the Battle of Manhattan and protecting New Rome. But this—this makes even Polybotes' army look small in comparison. And that made me nervous.

Whenever I'd fought monsters in the mortal world, I at least knew I was defending my home. That gave me courage, no matter how bad the odds were. But here, _I_ was the invader. I didn't belong in this multitude of monsters ant more than the Minotaur belonged in Penn Station at rush hour.

A few feet away, a group of _empousai_ tore into the carcass of a gryphon while other gryphons flew around them, squawking in out rage. I noticed a Nemean Lion (most likely the one Thalia and I destroyed) trying to break though the tough hide of a leucrotae. A six-armed Earthborn and a Laistrygonian giant pummeled each other with rocks, though I wasn't sure if they were fighting or just messing around. A dark wisp of smoke—I guess it must be an eidolon—seeped into a Cyclopes, made the monster hit himself in the face, then drifted off to possess another victim.

Suddenly I heard a loud Familiar Roar.

"When will I finally get the chance of revenge on Nobody!"

I turned to see a huge cyclopes in ragged baby blue tuxedo swinging a club around and roaring.

"Polyphemus," I muttered. "Great—just what I need."

Four years ago, I managed to destroy Polyphemus with Tyson's help. I know it sounds impossible, but it did happen.

Annabeth whispered. "Percy, look."

A stone's throw away, a guy in in a cowboy outfit was cracking a whip at some fire-breathing horse. The wrangler wore a Stetson hat on his greasy hair, an extra-large set of jeans, and a pair of black leather boots. From the side, he might passed for human, but when he turned, I saw that his upper body was split into three different chest, each one dressed in a different color Western shirt.

Geryon. I recognized that guy anywhere. Three years ago I killed that guy by shooting an arrow right though his chest.

Just then fire blew into the air and I thought it was a firebreathing horse until I looked and saw a ginger giant in bathrobes blowing flames at some gryphons that were attacking him.

Cacus: the son of Hephaestus who steals fine fake counter fits and then duplicate them. Annabeth and I worked together in destroying him last fall, before Olympus closed, in order to retrieve Hermes' staff.

Polyphemus, Geryon, Cacus, Nemean Lion—just how many more of our old foes were down here waiting to ride out the Doors of Death to kill my friends.

I don't know, but seeing them assembled in Tartarus, I started to feel hopeless. Even if we closed the doors, chances were they would regenerate decades—maybe centuries later. I can't fight them forever, but I know my children will have to face them as well.

 _My children_.

The thought jarred me as my hopelessness disappeared. I glanced at Annabeth. She still looked like a misty corpse, but I imagine her true appearance—her gray eyes full of determination, her blonde hair pulled back in a bandana, her face weary and streaked with grime, but as beautiful as ever.

Okay, maybe monsters kept coming back forever. But so did demigods. Generation after generation, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter have endured. Even separately, the two camps had survived. Now, if we could join the two forces, they can be even stronger.

There was still hope. A ridiculous thought. An awesome thought. Right there in the middle of Tartarus, I grinned, which probably resembles more of a grimace of pain in my current form.

Then, somewhere in front of Cottus and Gygess, a voice boomed: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"


	62. Percy's POV Part XIV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XIV**

When I heard someone yell, immediately I thought, _Oh no, they recognized us, or Bob or both._

But thank the gods that wasn't the case. Although, Bob did shrink down to human size to avoid any trouble but to listen what was going on.

A Titan strode toward Cottus and Gygess, casually kicking lesser monsters out of his way. He was roughly the same heigh as Bob normally is, with elaborate Stygian iron armor, a single diamond blazing in the center of his breastplate. His eyes were blue white, like core samples from a glacier and just as cold. His air was the same color, cut military style. A battle helmet shaped like a bear's head was tucked under his arm. From his belt hung a sword the size of a surfboard.

Despite his battle scars, the Titan's face was handsome enough to remind me slightly of Apollo, but his cold eyes reminded me of how Artemis looked at Atlas when she helped us fight him.

That's when I started to realize who this guy was: Koios. Titan of the North and father of Leto, Apollo's and Artemis' mother, which makes this guy their grandfather.

I instinctively reached for my thermos, but Annabeth caught my hand and gave me the look: _not yet_.

The Titan stopped in front of Gyges and Cottus. "Gyges! Cottus! What are you doing here? I thought you two turned down Gaea's offer."

Fortunately Gyges was good at lying.

"Gaea promised to spare Briares for us if we joined the battle," Gyges said.

"And that the giants won't lock us up for the third time," Cottus said.

Koios laughed. "Still holding a grudge against that little dispute?"

"Kronos locked us up for the second time with the Kampê as our jailer," Cottus said, "Ouranos may have been cruel but at least he didn't hire a monster to torture us like Kronos did."

I thought for sure Koios would take out his sword and strike down Cottus for that, but Koios just laughed. "Yeah, I guess the Kampê was an over kill on Kronos' part. I guess that's the other reason you agree to Gaea's terms, right? Because of the rumor?"

"Rumor?" Gygess asked.

"Yeah, apparently the last Titan War did a number to the remainder of Kronos' essence. And now he's unable to reform," Koios said. "Despite what the other Titans might say, I still don't want to believe Iapetus betrayed us."

Cottus frowned. "What do you mean? Weren't you part of the war?"

"Nah, Kronos had me at the Doors of Death," Koios said. "He had hopes that when he destroyed Olympus, he could open the doors and released the rest of our brethren to the world. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but I was still able to help Gaea."

Now that I think about it, I remember a dream vision involving two of Bob's and Kronos' brothers: Hyperion and Krios during the Titan war, but Koios was nowhere in sight. Now I realized he had part down here the whole time.

"I'll let you two in a little secret," Koios said, "These giants may _think_ they will rule. Let them be our shock troops and destroy the Olympians for us. But truth is, once the Earth Mother awakes, she will remember that the _Titan_ s are her eldest children and will let us rule the cosmos."

"Oh, really," Gyges said. "Earth mother said that?"

"Well—no. But she has to, right?" Koios asked. "I mean we are her eldest children."

"No offense Koios, but I think Gaea has considered the thought of her eldest children ruling the world," Cottus said.

Koios laughed. "Oh, I'm sure you would think that Cottus, considering you hundred handed ones are older than us Titans. But mark my words, the Titans will rule, no matter what the giants say. Not that they're saying much anyways. They've already passed through the Doors of Death, anyway, back to the mortal world—at least the ones that were destroyed sometime ago after first returning. Polybotes was the last one, not half an hour ago, still rumbling about missing his prey. Apparently some demigods he was after got swallowed up by Nyx. Never see _them_ again, I wager!"

Annabeth gripped my wrist. Through the Death Mist, I couldn't read her expression, but I saw the alarm in her eyes.

If the giants we already destroyed had already passed through the Doors, then at least they wouldn't be hunting for us through Tartarus. Unfortunately, that also meant our friends in the mortal world were in even greater danger. All of the earlier fights with the giants had been in vain. Our enemies would be reborn as strong as ever.

"Well!" Koios drew his massive sword. The blade radiated a cold deeper than the Hubbard Glacier. I must be off to help Krios guard the Doors of Death. For some reason Hyperion hasn't appeared yet, and my southern half expects me to help him out. See you two in the mortal world."

He stormed off, pushing aside Bob. When he did, Koios stopped for a moment to stare at Bob, as if something about him was unnerving, but then continued on his way.

Bob leaned in to me. "That another bad brother of mine?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he is. And if he and Krios is guarding the doors then…"

I didn't need to finish. It was bad enough before, but now our situation seemed impossible. Krios and Koios is guarding the Doors. I just have to hope that Bob Gyges and Cottus will be enough to help us.

"Come on," Annabeth said. "We should follow Koios to the Doors."

…

Stomping on Tartarus' heart wasn't nearly as much fun as it sounded.

The purplish ground was slippery and constantly pulsing. It looked flat from a distance but up close it was made of folds and ridges that got harder to navigate the farther we walked. Gnarled lumps of red arties and blue veins gave me some footholds hen I had to climb, but the going was slow.

There were a few times we lost track of Koios in the crowd of monsters, but fortunately Gyges and Cottus could grow over the crowd to find him.

Once I stumbled and my had touched a red artery, and a tingling sensation went up my arm and through my body as if reacting to what's in it.

"The River Styx," I said, "It's flowing through this vein."

"How can you tell?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know—maybe because I still bare the Mark of Achilles. All I know is I can sense it that there's water in this vein, and it feels like it came from the styx."

Bob grunted. "Makes sense. Styx is one of the five rivers. Its his blood."

"His blood?" Annabeth stepped away from the nearest clump of veins. "I knew the Underworld rivers all emptied into Tartarus, but—"

"Yes," Bob agreed. "They all flow through his heart."

"Well, I guess the Styx is better than Lethe," Cottus said.

"Or Acheron," Gyges agreed.

Don't remind me, I thought.

"We should hurry," Annabeth said. "Before we lose Koios."

Just then, jagged streaks of darkness tore through the air—like lightning, except pure black."

"The Doors," Bob said. "Must be a large group going through."

At this point, my mouth started tasting like Gorgon's blood. Even if my friends from the _Argo II_ managed to find the other side of the Doors, how could they possibly fight the waves of monsters that were coming through, especially if all the giants were already waiting for them?

"Bob, is there a chance that the Doors of Death can summon monsters in other places of the world?" I asked. "Other than the House of Hades I mean?"

Bob shrugged. "Perhaps if Gaea choose. The House of Hades is in her realm after all. If she opened the doors from the Mortal world as Koios opened it from Tartarus, it would explain why they stayed open too."

"But if that was true, couldn't Gaea control where we go?" Annabeth asked.

Bob scratched his chin. "You are not monsters. It may be different for you."

Great. So along with the chance we might not appear at the House of Hades, we have to worry about Gaea summoning her forces in other parts of the world. Now that I think about it, if Gaea wants, she could summon Annabeth and me straight to where she planned to have her kids wake her and save her the wait for us coming to her.

I started to wish I didn't have the habit of over thinking things.

Bob, Gyges and Cottus helped us over the top of another Ridge. Suddenly the Doors of Death were in plain view—a freestanding rectangle of darkness at the top of the next heart-muscle hill, about a quarter mile away, surrounded by a horde of monsters so thick, I could just walk on their heads to get across.

The doors were still too far away to make out much details but I could see Koios joining another Titan wearing dark blue armor, with ram horns curling from the sides of his helmet. I had only seen him in my dreams before, but I recognized him immediately: Krios, the Titan of the South that Jason had killed in the Battle of Mount Tam that the Romans fought.

"Let's go!" Bob said. "Time for me to say hi to my bad brothers."

That didn't sound right, but Bob didn't give us much of a choice as he charged forward.


	63. Percy's POV Part XV

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XV**

I remember all those times I entered Olympus through the elevators connecting it to the Empire State Building. And almost every time I did, I was about to face the Olympians that were planning to vote whether to kill me or not. But that was nothing compare to what I felt when I saw what the Doors of Death really looked like.

At least the Death Mist and Myrmekes seem to be doing their job. Normally that made someone feel better, but I been expecting a massive last-minute fail.

Fifty feet from the Doors of Death, Annabeth and I froze.

"Oh, gods," Annabeth murmured.

"It's exactly the same," I responded.

The Doors of Death looked like a black and silver version of the elevators in the Empire State Building, the entrance to Olympus. It was framed in Stygian iron, and the elevator doors were silver etched with black designs.

Seeing them made me feel so homesick, I couldn't breathe. I didn't just miss Mount Olympus. I missed everything I'd left behind: New York City, Camp Half-Blood, my mom and stepdad Paul. My eyes stung from tears trying to escape. I didn't even trust myself to talk.

The Doors of Death seemed like a personal insult, designed to remind me everything I couldn't have.

As I got over my initial shock, I noticed other details: the frost spreading from the base of the Doors, the purplish glow in the air around us, the chains that held them fast.

Cords of black iron ran down either side of the frame, like rigging lines on a suspension bridge. They were tethered to hooks embedded in the fleshy ground. The two Titans, Krios and Koios—who rejoined his brother so a Cyclopes could join his brethren—stood guard at the anchor points.

As I watched, the entire frame shuddered. Black lightning flashed into the sky. The chains shook and the Titans plant their feet on the hooks to keep them secure. The Doors slide open, revealing the gilded interior of an elevator car.

I tensed, ready to charge forward, but Bob planted a hand on my shoulder. "Wait," he cautioned.

Koios yelled to the surrounding crowd: "Group A-22! Hurry up, you sluggards!"

The Cyclopes from before and his brethren rushed forward, waving little red tickets and shouting excitedly. Most wouldn't think all of those Cyclopes could fit inside those human sized doors, but as the Cyclopes got close, their bodies distorted and shrank, the Doors of Death sucking them inside.

The Titan Krios jabbed his thumb against the up button on the elevator's right side. The Doors slid closed.

The frame shuddered again. Dark lightning faded.

"You must understand how the doors work," Gyges said as his hundred hands started rubbing each other nervously. "Each time the Doors open, they try to teleport to a new location. Thantos made them this way, so only he could find them."

"Yeah," Cottus said as his hands seemed to be equally worried, "But now that the doors are chained, they cannot relocate."

"Then we cut the chains," Annabeth whispered.

"Bob can help you while Gyges and I distract Koios and Krios," Cottus said. "Then when the time comes Bob can hold down the button."

"What?" I asked.

"Mrow," said Small Bob as if knowing what those three were talking about.

"Once someone is behind the doors, someone else must push the UP button for twelve minutes while defending it," Bob said. "Otherwise the journey will not finish."

"Once up there, Cottus and I will protect you two from whatever Gaea might have guarding the other side," Gygess said. "Most likely one of Gaea' Giants."

I glanced at the Doors. Sure enough, Krio still had his thumb jammed on the UP button. Twelve minutes. I quickly realized that Bob Gyges and Cottus had planned this. They decided who would stay behind and who would help—maybe back in Damasen's place, or at the Temple of Hermes—most likely when Annabeth and I were asleep.

"What happens if the journey doesn't finish?" Annabeth asked. "What happens to the passengers?"

Neither Bob nor the Hundred Handed ones replied. Judging from their pained expression, it wasn't something we want to know.

"If we _do_ push the button for twelve minutes," I said, "and the chains are cut—"

"The Doors should reset," Bob said. "That is what they're supposed to do. They will disappear from Tartarus. They will appear somewhere else, where Gaea cannot use them."

"Thantos can reclaim them," Annabeth said. "Death goes back to normal, and the monsters lose their shortcut to the mortal world."

Grief, sadness, graditude, and guild build in my gut and started churning. By the sound of it, Bob signed up for a suicide mission.

"Bob, we can't ask you to hold the button down," I said. "You want to go through the Doors too."

"I do, but someone has to push the button," Bob said. "And once the chains are cut… my brethren will fight to stop your passage. They will not want the Doors to disappeared. But before I do—"

Bob picked up small Bob and started petting it as the spactus kitten purred before handing it to Annabeth. "Take care of Small Bob for me."

"Bob," Annabeth said.

"I trust you to take care of Small Bob for me," Bob said.

Annabeth held Small Bob who started meowing in protest.

The cement settled in my stomach as my fatal flaw kicked in. How could I ask Bob to sacrifice so much? This didn't seem right at all.

"Alright, let's get to this," Cottus said. "Bob, wait in the far side until the chains are cut. We'll protect Annabeth and Percy until you make it."

Bob nodded and lumbered off. I wanted to tell Bob to stop and to take his place. But before I could get the words out Bob had already disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry about not posting yesterday. I hope you guys enjoyed. 13 chapters left.


	64. Percy's POV Part XVI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XVI**

"Cottus! Gyges!" Koios bellowed. "See, Krios, I told you these two were coming."

"Huh, I thought you two would be hiding," Krios said.

"We don't hide," Gyges said.

I crept toward the right side of the door behind Gyges—who was covering me from the Titan's view. Annabeth sneaked toward the left with Cottus doing the same for her. Even without the Hundred Handed Ones blocking the Titans from seeing us, Krios and Koios didn't seem to care enough to notice.

Just in case I kept my Riptide in Sword form and hid my thermos under my shirt. I crouched low, stepping as quietly as possible. The lesser monsters kept a respectful distance from the Titans, so there was enough space to maneuver around the Doors; but I was keenly aware of the snarling mob at my back. They probably think I was trying to sneak my way back into the mortal world.

Annabeth had taken Koios side—with Small Bob on her shoulder, and I took Krios. As I crept forward, I started wishing I asked the campers at Camp Jupiter how Jason took down Krios, or at least ask Jason himself. If I did, it might have helped me in case I have to fight him.

Too late now.

On my side of the Doors, Krios stood dark and silent, his ram's-headed helmet covering his face. He kept one foot planted on the chain's anchor and his thumb on the UP button.

Gyges and Cottus faced their Titan brothers each with their hundred hands crossed, which looked odd on them.

"About time you two showed up, anyways," Krios said. "I have been stuck here for hours. Do you two realize how boring this job is anyways? Guarding these doors, shuffling monsters through at Gaea's orders. And the system is messed up. Somehow we ended up from A-22 to Double Red. And we get stuck with this while the _giants_ go into battle and get all the glory?"

"You're just upset because Gaea has you hold down the button," Koios said. "Krios always got the most ridiculous assignments."

"Maybe you should leave the job to us?" Cottus asked, "Gaea isn't letting us through until after the last group anyways."

I reached the anchor hook. I uncapped my pen and Riptide grew to full length. Krios didn't react. His attention was firmly fixated on Gyges who just gave Cottus a hundred hand slap on the head.

"Idiot! I doubt they will give their position to us," Gyges said. "Besides, how do you expect us to go."

The Titan's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Krios asked.

"Well, if you're still down here when we all leave, who will be here to press the button for twelve minutes when it's your turn," Gyges said, "If you ask me Gaea gave you two the short end of the stick."

"Gaea wouldn't leave us," Koios said.

"Really? Because it seems she favors the Giants over the Titans," Cottus said.

Krios grunted. "That's true. But still, she wouldn't leave us down here."

Twelve minute must has passed at that moment because the elevator dinged. Krios took his finger off the button and called out, "Double Red! Where is Double Red?"

Hordes of monsters stirred and jostled one another, but none of them came forward.

Krios heaved sigh. "I _told_ them to hang on their tickets. Double Red! You'll lose your place in the queue!"

Annabeth was in position—with Small Bob now on her head out of her way, right behind Koios. She raised her drakon-bone sword—which probably would cut better than her knife—over the base of the chains and held up three fingers, ready to count down. We had to cut the chains before the next group tried to take the elevator, but we also had to make ure the Titans were as distracted.

"Then why don't you leave the door to us, and you can go join the fight yourself," Cottus said. "You can take place of those Double Red that lost their tickets."

Koios and Krios rose their eyebrows, or at least Koios did. I wasn't so sure about Krios behind his helmet.

At that moment Annabeth mouthed: _One, two—_

Before we could strike the chains, a high-pitched whine pierced my ears, like the sound of an incoming rocket. I just had time to think: _Uh-oh_. Then an explosion rocked the hillside. A wave of heat knocked me backward. Dark shrapnel ripped through Krios and Koios, shredding them as easily as wood in a chipper.

 _TRAITORS_. A hollow voice rolled across the plains, shaking the warm fleshy ground.

Bob, who was among the crowd, staggered out in complete shock. He and Gyges and Cottus tried to find the source of the voice.

Annabeth had landed about twenty feet from the Doors. Small Bob managed to jumped off her in time as he walked up to her. Annabeth rose, which was a relief to me that she was alive. But then I noticed she looked like herself. The Death Mist had evaporated.

I looked at my hands. I was still covered in Myrmekes gunk, but my disguise was gone too.

 _TITANS_ , said the voice disdainfully. _LESSER BEINGS. IMPERFECT, WEAK AND GULLIBLE. CAN'T EVEN TELL WHEN THEY'RE BEING TRICKED!_

I front of the Doors of Death, the air darkened and solidified. The being who appeared was massive, radiating such pure malevolence, that I wanted to crawl away and hide.

Instead, I forced my eyes to trace the god's form, starting with his black iron boots, each one as large as a coffin. His legs were covered in dark greaves; his flesh all thick purple muscle, like the ground. His armored shirt made from thousands of blackened, twisted bone, woven together like chain links and clasped in place by a belt of interlocking monstrous arms.

On the surface of the warrior's breastplate, murky faces appeared and submerged—giants, Cyclopes, gorgons, and drakons—all pressing against the armor as if trying to get out.

The warrior's arms were bare—muscular, purple, and glistening—his hands as large as crane scoops.

Worst of all was his head: a helmet of twisted rock and metal with no particular shape—just jagged spikes and pulsing patches of magma. His entire face was a whirlpool—an inward spiral of darkness, that sucked up the Titan essence from Koios and Krios.

Somehow I found my voice. "Tartarus."

The warrior made a sound like a mountain cracking in half. I couldn't tell if it was a roar or a laugh.

 _This form I only a small manifestation of my power,_ said the god. _But it is enough to deal with you. I do not interfere lightly, little demigod. It is beneath me to deal with gnats such as yourself._

"Uh…" My legs threatened to collapsed under me. I didn't even know if I still had my Achilles Curse, or if Tartarus washed that away too. "Don't… you know… go to any trouble."

 _You have proven surprisingly resilient,_ Tartarus said. _You have come too far. I can no longer stand by and watch you progress._

Tartarus spread his arms. Throughout the valley, thousands of monsters wailed and roared, clashing their weapons and bellowing in triumph. The Doors of Death shuddered in their chains.

 _Be honored, little demigods,_ aid the god of the pit. _Even the Olympians were never worthy of my personal attention. But you will be destroyed by Tartarus himself!_


	65. Frank's POV Part V

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part V**

I was hoping for some sort of sign from the gods or something saying: WELCOME HOME!

More than three thousand years ago, my Greek ancestor—good old Periclymenus the shape-shifter—had sailed east with the Argonauts. Centuries later, Periclymenus' descendants had served in the eastern Roman legions, through a series of misadventures, my family ended up in China, finally emigrating to Canada in the twentieth century. Now I was back in Greece, which meant that the Zhang family had completely circled the globe.

That seemed like cause for celebrations, but the only welcoming committee was a flock of wild, hungry harpies who attacked the ship. I felt kind of bad as I shot them down with my bow and slicing through any that got too close with the _gladius_ my father gave me. I kept thinking of Ella, our freakishly smart harpy friend from Portland. But these harpies weren't Ella. They gladly would have chewed my face off. So I blasted them out of the sky or sliced them in half.

The Greek landscape below was just as inhospitable. The hills were strewn with boulders and stunted cedars, all shimmering in the hazy air. The sun beat down as if trying to hammer the country side into a Celestial bronze shield. Even from a hundred feet up, I could hear the drone of cicadas buzzing in the trees—a sleepy, otherworldly sound that made my eyes heavy. Even the dueling voices of the war gods inside my head seemed to have dozed off. Sometime after Khione's attack, Mars and Ares started raging wars in my head. Only good thing out of it was that they stopped telling me to kill my friends. But now we were back in Greece, they hardly bothered me at all.

Sweat trickled down my neck. After being frozen below deck by that crazy snow goddess, I had thought I would never feel warm again; but now the back of my shirt was soaked.

"Hot and steamy!" Leo grinned at the helm. "Makes me homesick for Houston! All we're missing is giant mosquitoes, and it'll feel just like the Gulf Coast!"

"Thanks a lot, Leo," Hazel grumbled. "We'll probably get attacked by Ancient Greek Mosquito monsters now."

"Actually, there's no such thing," Calypso said.

I studied my friends in amazement. Ever since Leo and Calypso started dating, it seemed that Leo became a different person. He still joked around, but he no longer does it in a teasing way to me, nor does he tried to steal glances from Hazel that made me uncomfortable.

There were times Leo and Calypso still scorn each other for one odd reason for another, like they were annoyed with each other and yet that's the one thing they care about each other.

Not only that, but ever since Calypso joined us, when she wasn't with Leo, she spends time with Piper and Hazel.

At first it was obvious that Piper and Calypso had as much tension between them as Leo and I had when we met, but I guess they cleared some air, and befriended each other. I wouldn't be surprise if Calypso been giving those two tips with Piper's Charmspeak and Hazel's Mist Manipulation.

"There!" Nico's voice shook me out of my thoughts. As usual, di Angelo was perched atop the foremast. He pointed toward a glittering green river snaking through the hills a kilometer away. "Maneuver us that way. We're close to the temple. _Very_ close."

As if to prove his point, black lightning ripped through the sky, leaving dark spots before my eyes and making the hairs on my arms stand up.

Jason strapped on his tool belt. "Everyone, arm yourself. Leo, get us close, but don't land—no more contact with the ground than necessary. Piper, Hazel, Calypso, get the mooring ropes."

"On it!" Piper said.

Hazel gave me a peck on the cheek and ran to help.

"Frank," Jason called, "get below and find Coach Hedge."

"Yep!"

I climbed downstairs and headed for Hedge's cabin. As I neared the door, I slowed down. I didn't want to surprise the satyr with any loud noises. After all, Coach Hedge had a habit of jumping into the gangway with his baseball bat if he thought attackers were on board. I had almost gotten my head taken off a couple of times on my way to the bathroom.

I raised my hand to knock before realizing that the door was cracked open. Inside, I could hear Coach Hedge talking inside.

"Come on, babe!" the satyr said. "You know it's not like that!"

I froze. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I wasn't sure what to do. Hazel mentioned being worried about the coach. She'd insisted something was bothering him, but I hadn't thought much of it until now.

I'd never heard the coach talk so _gently_. Usually the only sounds I heard from the coach's cabin were sporting events on the TV, or the coach yelling, "Yeah! Get 'em!" as he watched his favorite martial arts movies. I was pretty sure the coach wouldn't be calling Chuck Norris _babe_.

Another voice spoke—female, but barely audible, like it was coming from a long way away."

"I will," Coach Hedge promised. "But, uh, we're going into battle"—he cleared his throat—"and it may get ugly. You just _stay safe._ I'll get back. Honest."

I couldn't stand it anymore. I knocked loudly. "Hey, Coach?"

The talking stopped.

I counted to six and the door flew open.

Coach Hedge stood there scowling, his eyes bloodshot, like he'd been watching too much TV. He wore his usual baseball cap and gym shorts, with a leather cuirass over his shirt and a whistle hanging from his neck, maybe in case he wanted to call a foul against the monster armies.

"Zhang. What do you want?"

"Uh, we're getting ready for battle. We need you above deck."

The coach's goatee quivered. "Yeah. 'Course you do." He sounded strangely unexcited about the prospect of a fight, which was unlike him.

Hedge looked like he might smack me in the face, or at least blow the whistle really loud. Then his shoulders slumped. He heaved a sigh and turned inside, leaving me standing awkwardly in the doorway.

The coach plopped down on his berth. He cupped his chin in his hand and stared glumly around his cabin. The place looked like a college dorm room after a hurricane—a floor strewn with laundry (maybe for wearing, maybe for snacks; I can never tell with satyrs or fauns since they both have the same type of appetite), DVDs and dirty dishes scattered around the TV on the dresser. Every time the ship tilted, a mismatched herd of sports equipment rolled across the floor—footballs, basketballs, baseballs, and for some reason, a single billiard ball. Tuft of goat hair floated through the air and collected under the furniture in clumps. Dust goats? Goat bunnies?

On the coach's nightstand sat a bowl of water, a stack of golden drachmas, a flashlight, and a glass prism for making rainbows. The coach had obviously come prepared to make a lot of Iris-messages.

I remembered what Piper told me about the coach' nymph girlfriends who worked for Piper's dad as his assistant. If I remember, name was Mellie.

"Uh, is your girlfriend Mellie all right?" I ventured.

"None of our business!" the coach snapped.

"Okay. Sorry for…"

"Fine!" Hedge rolled his eyes. "If you must know—yes, I was talking to Mellie. But she's not my girlfriend. We got married, so she's my wife now!"

I stood there shock. "Coach—that's great! When—how—?"

"None of your business!" he yelled again.

"Um… all right."

"End of May," the coach said. "Just before the _Argo II_ sailed. We didn't want to make a big deal of it—only invited one person to act as a witness to it—Clarisse actually."

I blinked. "The daughter of Ares you escorted to Camp Half-Blood?"

Coach nodded. I felt like the ship was tilting again, but it must have just been me. The herd of wild sports equipment stayed put against the far wall.

All this time the coach had been _married_? In spite of being a newlywed, he'd agreed to come on this quest. No wonder Hedge made so many calls back home. No wonder he was so cranky and belligerent—even before Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus.

Still… I sensed there was more going on. The coach's tone during the Iris-message made it sound like they were discussing a problem.

"I know this is none of my business, but…" I said, "is she okay?"

"None of your business!"

"Right, sorry!"

"Fine! I'll tell you." Hedge plucked some fur off his thigh and let it float through the air. "She took a break from her job in L.A.—with Piper's dad's approval. She went to Camp Half-Blood for the summer, because we figured—" His voice cracked. "We figured it would be safer. Now she's stuck there. Clarisse agreed to watch over her, but I know she's going to be busy with the Romans about to attack. Mellie… she's pretty scared."

I found myself grateful to be related to Clarisse, even though she's a Greek demigod and I'm a Roman demigod. Percy brought up about her once, how the daughter of Ares was one of few from Ares' Cabin he trusted in Camp Half-Blood, but for once I actually believed it.

But at the same time I became very aware of the centurion badge on my shirt, and the _SPQR_ tattoo on my forearm.

"Sorry," I murmured. "But if she's a cloud spirit, couldn't she just… you know, float away?"

The coach curled his fingers around the grip of his baseball bat. "Normally, yeah. But see… she's in a delicate condition. It wouldn't be safe."

"A delicate…" My eyes widened. "She's going to have a _baby_? You're going to be a _dad_?"

"Shout it a little louder," Hedge grumbled. "I don't think they heard you in Croatia."

I couldn't help but grin at this point. "But, Coach, that's awesome! A little baby satyr? Or maybe a nymph? You'll be a fantastic dad."

I wasn't sure why I felt that way, considering the coach's love of baseball bat and roundhouse kicks, but I _was_ sure. Maybe it was because of the way he's always concern about our safety.

Coach Hedge scowled even deeper. "The war's coming, Zhang. Nowhere is safe. I should be there for Mellie. If I gotta die somewhere—"

"Hey, nobody's going to die," I said.

Hedge met my eyes. I could tell the coach didn't believe it.

"Always had a soft spot for children of Ares," Hedge muttered. "Or Mars—whichever. Maybe that's why I'm not pulverizing you so many questions."

"But I wasn't—"

"Fine, I'll tell you!" Hedge sighed again. "Back when I was on my first assignment as a seeker, I was way out in Arizona, bringing in Clarisse."

"Wait, Clarisse is from Arizona?" I asked.

"Not important," Hedge said. "Anyway, while I was out, I had this dream about my mom. She—she was a cloud nymph like Mellie. I dreamed she was in trouble and needed my help right away. But I said to myself, _Nah, it's just a dream. Who would hurt a sweet old cloud nymph? Besides, I gotta get this half-blood to safety._ So I finished my mission, brought Clarisse to Camp Half-Blood. Afterward, I went looking for my mom. I was too late."

I watched the tuft of goat hair settle on top of a basketball. "What happened to her?"

Hedge shrugged. "No idea. Never saw her again. Maybe if I'd been there for her if I'd got back sooner…"

I wanted to say something comforting, but I wasn't sure what. I had lost my mom in the war in Afghanistan, and I knew how empty the words _I'm sorry_ could sound.

"You were doing our job," I said, "If you haven't protected Clarisse, she wouldn't be at Camp right now protecting your wife and unborn child. Meanwhile you're here with us, stopping the giants from waking Gaea. Even if the Romans weren't attacking the camp, do you think your wife and unborn child would be safe if Gaea has her way?"

"No. No, I suppose not."

At that moment the ship listed forward. The herd of sports equipment rolled under the coach's berth.

"We're descending," said Hedge. "We'd better get above."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"You're a nosy Roman, Zhang."

"But—"

"Come on," Hedge said. 'And not a word about this to the others, you blabbermouth."

How am I the blabber mouth when he's the one who blab his secret to me?

…

As the others made fast the aerial moorings, Leo grabbed Hazel and me by the arms and dragged us to the aft ballista where Calypso was waiting.

"So we're going through with your plan?" Calypso asked.

"Yep," Leo replied.

"What plan?" Hazel asked.

"A plan to keep your life line safe, Zhang," Leo said. "With a little help from Calypso."

Calypso rolled her eyes.

I nearly choked on my tongue as Hazel's eyes widened.

"Uh… Leo, what are you talking about?" Hazel asked.

Leo and Calypso told us this story of how Calypso made this fireproof clothes for Leo after he burned through most of the other clothes she made for him.

Leo even did a demonstration by bringing out the bag he had Calypso made for him big enough to hold my firewood. Then he lit his hands into balls of flames under the bag but nothing happened. When Leo put the fire out, the bag still looked good as new.

"Hazel can still keep the piece of firewood safe, but this way at least you don't have to worry about any other fire source like Leo keep it safe," Calypso said.

"Yeah—hey, wait a second," Leo responded.

Hazel looked at me. "What do you think?"

Honestly, I liked the idea, especially after Leo's demonstration, and I can see why Calypso suggest Hazel still keep the burned wood because me giving her my lifeline is first real bond with no secrets between the two of us.

"Let's go with it," I said.

Leo handed Hazel the bag and she brought out the piece of firewood. The tinder was no bigger than a screwdriver, and at one side was still charred where I had to burn through the icy chains that imprisoned the god Thantos in Alaska. Hazel carefully placed it in the white fabric and pulled the draw string that closed it.

"It shouldn't open unless you want it too, and the fabric breathes just like regular cloths," Calypso said.

"So it isn't any more sealed up than it would be in Hazel's coat pocket," Leo said.

For the first time since my grandmother handed me the piece of tinder, I was able to breath easier. For once, I didn't feel that my life was in danger as long as I don't need it to burn.

"Maybe I should keep it when we're in the House of Hades," I said. "I mean since you three are going to fight some mystery sorceress and the Giant Bane of Hecate—"

"Are you sure?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I'll return it to you after we leave the temple. But for now it might be better I keep it."

Hazel nodded, trying to hide her hurt expression. She haned me the cloth.

"And Leo, Calypso, thanks," I said.

Leo grinned. "Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"

"Right!" Hazel and I agreed.

"Hey, guys!" Piper called from the bow. "Better get over here. You need to see this."

…

We'd found the source of the dark lightning.

The _Argo II_ hovered directly over the river. A few hundred meters away at the top of the nearest hill stood a cluster of ruins. They didn't look like much—just some crumbling walls encircling the limestone shells of a few buildings—but from somewhere within the ruins, tendrils of black ether curled into the sky, like a smoky squid peeking from its cave. As I watched, a bolt of dark energy ripped through the air, rocking the ship and sending a cold shockwave across the landscape.

"The Necromanteion," Nico said. "The House of Hades."

I steadied myself at the rail. I supposed it was too late to suggest turning back. I was starting to feel nostalgic about the monsters I'd fought in Rome. Heck, chasing poison cows through Venice had been more appealing than this place.

Piper hugged her arms. "I feel vulnerable floating up here like this. Couldn't we set in the river?"

"I wouldn't," Hazel said. "That's the River Acheron."

Jason squinted in the sunlight. "I thought the Acheron was in the Underworld."

"It is," Hazel said. "But its headwaters are in the mortal world. That river below us? Eventually it flows underground, straight into the realm of Pluto—er, Hades. Landing a demigod ship on those waters—"

"Yeah, let's stay up here," Leo decided. "I don't want any zombie water on my hull."

Half a kilometer downstream, some fishing boats were puttering along. I guess they didn't know or care about the history of the river. Must be nice, being a regular mortal.

Next to me, Nico di Angelo raised the scepter of Diocletian. Its orb glowed with purple light, as if in sympathy with the dark storm. Roman relic or not, the scepter troubled me. If it really had the power to summon a legion of the dead… well, I wasn't sure that was such a great idea.

Both Jason and Percy had told me that Children of Mars had a similar ability. Supposedly, I could call on the ghostly soldiers from the losing side of any war to serve me. I'd never had much luck with that power, probably ever since I used up my last charge to summon the spactus Gray to save people in the train, I been worried about trying it again.

"So, uh, Nico…" I gestured at the scepter. "Have you learned to use that thing?"

"We'll find out," Nico stared at the tendrils of darkness undulating from the ruins. "I don't intend to try until I have to. The Doors of Death are already working overtime bringing Gaea's monsters. Any more activity raising the dead, and the Doors might shatter permanently, leaving a rip in the mortal world that can't be closed."

"It might be for the best," Calypso agreed.

Coach Hedge grunted. "Let's go bust some monster heads then."

I looked at the satyr's grim expression. Suddenly I had an idea. "Coach, you should stay on board, cover us with the ballistae."

Hedge frowned. "Stay behind? Me? I'm your best soldier!"

"We might need air support," I said. "Like we did in Rome. You saved our _braccae_."

I didn't add: _Plus, I'd like you to get back to your wife and baby alive._

Leo and Calypso looked at each other like they know something we don't.

"Actually, that might be for the best," Leo said. "After all, if Reyna makes it here, she might have some tag along you can destroy for her."

Hedge's eyes brightened up and his scowl relaxed.

"Well…" he grumbled. "I suppose somebody' got to save everyone's _braccae_."

Jason clapped the coach on the shoulder. Then he gave frank and me an appreciative nod. "So that's settled. Everybody else, let' get to the ruins. Time to crash Gaea's party."


	66. Frank's POV Part VI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part VI**

Despite the midday heat and the raging storm of death energy, a group of tourists was climbing over the ruins. Fortunately, there weren't many, and they didn't give us demigods a second look.

After the crowds in Rome, I had stopped worrying too much about getting noticed. If we could fly our warship into the Roman Colosseum with ballistae blazing and not even cause a traffic slowdown, I figured we could get away with anything mystical.

Nico led the way. At the top of the hill, we climbed over an old retaining wall and down into an excavated trench. Finally, we arrived at a stone doorway leading straight into the side of the hill. The death storm seemed to originate right above our heads. Looking up at the swirling tentacles of darkness, I felt like I was trapped at the bottom of a flushing toilet bowl. That _really_ didn't calm my nerves.

Nico faced the group. "From here, it gets tough."

"Sweet," Leo said. "'Cause so far I've totally been pulling my punches.

Nico glared at him. "We'll see how long you keep your sense of humor. Remember, this is where pilgrims came to commune with dead ancestors. Underground, you may see things that are hard to look at, or hear voices trying to lead you astray in the tunnels. Frank, do you have the barley cakes?"

"What?" I had been thinking about my mom and grandmother (that's if she did died when I freed Thantos), wondering if they appear to me. Of course, at that moment, Ares and Mars started to argue again in the back of my mind, debating their favorite forms of violent deaths.

Thank the gods they stopped ordering me to kill my friends. Although back in the palace of the South Wind, they did bring up me taking over the ship and hunt down Khione. As tempting as that was I turned it down since Leo was missing and the _Argo II_ was needing repairs.

"I've got the cakes," Hazel said. She pulled out the magical barley crackers we'd made from the grain Triptolemus had given us in Venice—well, not exactly. He told us to grab some before leaving without telling us what they look like. Fortunately, Hazel was able to remember that one of the grain spirits we destroyed near Iris R.O.F.L. Shop was barely and recognized it from its essence.

"Eat up," Nico advised.

I chewed my cracker of death and tried not to gag. It reminded me of a cookie made with saw dust instead of sugar.

"Yum," Piper said. Even the daughter of Aphrodite couldn't avoid making a face.

Only Calypso didn't eat one, which made me a bit jealous.

"Okay." Nico choked down the last of his barley. "That should protect us from the poison."

"Poison?" Leo asked. "Did I miss the poison? 'Cause I love poison."

"Soon enough," Nico promised. Just stick close together, and maybe we can avoid getting lost or going insane."

"Can ghost really cause insanity?" Leo asked.

Nico didn't reply, but his expression was grim enough that I knew it was a touchy story.

Instead Calypso replied: "It's best not think about it."

On the happy note, Nico did lead us underground.

The tunnel spiraled gently downward, the ceiling supported by white stone arches that reminded me of a whale's rib cage.

As we walked, Hazel ran her hands along the masonry. "This wasn't part of a temple," she whispered. "This was… the basement for a manor house built in later Greek times."

I found it eerie how Hazel could tell so much about an underground place just by being there. I'd never known her to be mistaken.

"A manor house?" I asked. "Please don't tell me we're in the wrong place."

"The House of Hades is below us," Nico reassure me. "But Hazel's right, these upper levels are much newer. When archaeologist first excavated this site, they thought they'd found the Necromanteion. Then they realized the ruins were too recent, so they decided it was the wrong spot. They were right the first time. They just didn't dig deep enough."

"This place is creepy, that's for sure," Calypso said.

"You never been down here before, have you?" Hazel asked.

Calypso shook her head no. "This place was built after I was imprisoned. If it wasn't for—one of my previous visitors—I wouldn't even know it existed."

Hazel and Nico seem to grow a sympathetic look as they knew what Calypso was talking about.

We turned a corner and stopped. In front of us, the tunnel ended in a huge block of stone.

"A cave-in?" Jason asked.

"A test," Nico said. "Hazel, would you do the honors?"

Hazel stepped forward. She placed her hand on the rock, and the entire boulder crumbled to dust.

The tunnel shuddered. Cracks spread across the ceiling. For a terrifying moment, I imagined we'd all be crushed under tons of earth—a disappointing way to die, after all we'd been through. Then the rumbling stopped. The dust settled.

A set of stairs curved deeper into the earth, the barreled ceiling held up by more repeating arches, closer together and carved from polished black stone. The descending arches made me feel dizzy, as if I were looking into an endless reflecting mirror. Painted on the walls were crude pictures of black cattle marching downward.

"I really don't like cows," Piper muttered.

"Agreed," I said.

"Those are the cattle of Hades," Nico said. "It's just a symbol of—"

"Look." I pointed.

On the first step of the stairwell, a golden chalice gleamed. I was pretty sure it hadn't been there a moment before. The cup was full of dark green liquid.

"I supposed that's our poison?" Leo asked.

Nico picked up the chalice. "We're standing at the ancient entrance of the Necromanteion. Odysseus came here, and dozens of other heroes, seeking advice from the dead."

Calypso grew a grim expression that I recognized immediately as one Hazel had whenever her first boyfriend Sammy Valdez (Leo's Great-Grandfather) was brought up.

Then I remember hearing a story that Odysseus visiting Calypso's island after the Trojan war, and those two had a thing before Odysseus left to continue his journey home.

Leo cleared his throat. "So, did the dead advised them to leave immediately?"

"I would be fine with that," Piper admitted.

Nico drank from the chalice, then offered it to Jason. "You asked me about trust, and taking a rick? Well, here you go, son of Jupiter. How much do you trust me?"

I wasn't sure what Nico was talking about, but Jason didn't hesitate. He took the cup and drank.

We passed it around, each taking a sip of poison. As I waited for my turn I tried to keep my legs from shaking and my gut from churning. I wondered what my grandmother would say if she could see me.

 _Stupid, Fai Zhang!_ She would probably scold. _If all your friend were drinking poison, would you do it too?_

I was second to the last Calypso, who already reassured us she didn't need it.

"I don't need to poison to connect with the dead," Calypso said.

I didn't want to know what she meant by that, but I didn't ask since she is an immortal goddess—or titaness—whatever. I drank the poison, which reminded me of spoiled apple juice. I drained the chalice. It turned to smoke in my hands, which I guess confirmed what Calypso said.

Nico nodded, apparently satisfied. "Congratulations. Assuming the poison doesn't kill us, we should be able to find our way through the Necromanteion's first level."

"Just the _first_ level?" Piper asked.

Nico turned to Hazel and gestured at the stairs. "After you, sister."

In no time, I felt completely lost. The stairs split in three different directions. As soon as Hazel chose a path, the stairs split again. We wound our way through interconnecting tunnels and rough-hewn burial chambers that all looked the same—the walls carved with dusty niches that might once have held bodies. The arches over the doors were painted with black cows, white poplar trees, and owls.

"I thought the owl was Minerva's symbol," Jason murmured.

"The screech owl is one of Hades' sacred animals," Nico said. "It's cry is a bad omen."

"This way," Hazel pointed to a doorway that looked the same as all the others. "It's the only one that won't collapse on us."

"Good choice, then," Leo said.

I began to feel like I was leaving the world of the living. My skin tingled, and I wondered if it was a side effect of the poison. The pouch with my firewood seemed heavier on my belt. In the eerie glow of our weapons, everyone except Calypso looked like flickering ghost. Calypso on other hand was glowing a pure aura which I guess was an indication of her being an immortal being.

Cold air brushed against my face. In my mind, Ares and Mars had gone silent, but I thought I heard other voices whispering in the side corridors, beckoning him to veer off course, to come closer and listen to them speak.

Finally, we reached an archway carved in the shape of human skulls—or maybe they _were_ human skulls embedded in the rock. In the purple light of Diocletian's scepter, the hollow eye sockets seemed to blink.

I almost hit the ceiling when Hazel put a hand on my arm.

"This is the entrance to the second level," she said. "I'd better take a look."

I hadn't even realized that I'd moved in front of the door way.

"Uh, yeah…" I made my way for her.

Hazel traced her fingers across the carved skulls. "No traps on the doorway, but… something is strange here. My underground sense is—is fuzzy, like someone is working against me, hiding what's ahead of us."

"It's the work of a sorceress," Calypso said. "And a powerful one."

"Probably the one Hecate warned Hazel about and Leo saw in his dream," Jason said.

"How could you tell?" Piper asked Calypso.

Calypso shrugged. "I do a little bit of magic back on my island to—you know—pass the time."

That was an understatement, but I didn't say it out loud. Instead I asked: "Do you know what's up ahead then?"

Calypso shook her head: "It's best not mention it. Names have powers, or so the saying goes."

Good enough for me.

"Either way," Hazel said. "From this point on, the dead are stronger than the living."

I can believe that. The voices in the darkness seemed to whisper louder. I caught glimpses of movement in the shadows. From the way my friends' eyes darted around, I guess they were seeing things too.

"Couldn't we shadow travel to the Doors?" Jason asked.

"Too risky," Nico said, "If the sorceress has put a spell that over powers Hazel's power to sense things underground, chances are she has a trap in case we shadow travel."

"That's not a pleasant thought," Piper said.

We continued by foot from there. Other than the voices and the shadows, things seemed too peaceful.

"Where are the monsters?" I wondered aloud. "I thought Gaea had an army guarding the Doors."

"Don't know," Jason said. His pale skin looked as green as the poison from the chalice. "At this point I'd almost prefer a straight-up fight."

"Careful what you wish for, man." Leo summoned a ball of fire to his hand, and for once I was glad to see the flames. "Personally, I'm hoping nobody's home. We walk in, find Percy and Annabeth, closed the Doors of Death, and walk out. Maybe stop at the gift shop."

"Yeah," I said. "That'll happen."

The tunnel shook. Rubble rained down from the ceiling.

Hazel grabbed my hand. "That was close," she muttered. "These passageways won't take much more."

"The Doors of Death just opened again," Nico said.

"It's happening like every fifteen minutes," Piper noted.

"Every twelve minutes," Calypso corrected. "It must be how the doors work."

"It is," Nico replied. "We'd better hurry. Percy and Annabeth are close. They're in danger. I can sense it."

As we traveled deeper the corridors widened. The ceiling rose to six meters high, decorated with elaborated paintings of owls in the branches of white poplars. The extra space should have made me feel better, but all I could think about was the tactical situation. The tunnels were big enough to accommodate large monsters, even giants. Our group could be flanked or surrounded easily. We would have no good options for retreat.

All of my instincts told me to get out of these tunnels. If no monsters were visible, that just meant they were hiding, waiting to spring a trap. Even though I knew that, there wasn't much I could do about it. We _had_ to find the Doors of Death. We _need_ save Percy and Annabeth and closed the Doors.

Leo held his fire close to the walls. I saw Ancient Greek graffiti scratched into the stone. I couldn't read Ancient Greek, but I guessed they were prayers or supplications to the dead, written by the pilgrims thousands of years ago. The tunnel floor was littered with ceramic shards and silver coins.

"Offerings?" Piper guessed.

"Yes," Nico aid. "If you wanted your ancestors to appear, you had to make an offering."

"Let's not make an offering," Jason suggested.

Nobody argued.

"The tunnel from here is unstable," Hazel warned. "The floor might… well, just follow me. Step _exactly_ where I step.'

She made her way forward. I walked right behind her—not because I felt particularly brave, but because I wanted to be close if Hazel needed my help. The voices of the war gods were arguing again in my ears. I could sense danger—very close now.

 _Fai Zhang_.

I stopped cold. That voice… it wasn't Ares or Mars. It seemed to come right next to me, like someone whispering in my ear.

"Frank?" Jason whispered behind me. "Hazel, hold up a second. Frank, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I murmured. "I just—"

 _Pylos_ , the voice said. _I await you in Pylos._

I felt like the poison was bubbling back up my throat. I'd been scared plenty of times before. I'd even faced the god of Death.

But this voice terrified me in a different way. It resonated right down to my bones, as if it knew everything about me—my curse, my history, my future.

My grandmother had always been big on honoring the ancestors. It was a Chinese thing. You had to appease ghosts. You had to take them seriously.

I always thought my grandmother's superstitions were silly. Now I changed my mind. I had no doubt… the voice that spoke to me was one of my ancestors.

"Frank, don't move." Hazel sounded alarmed.

I looked down and realized I'd been about to step out of line.

 _To survive, you must lead,_ the voice said. _At the break, you must take charge._

"Lead where?" I asked aloud.

Then the voice was gone. I could feel its absence, as if the humidity had suddenly dropped.

"Uh, big guy?" Leo said. "Could you not freak out on us? Please and thank you."

My friends were all looking at me with concern.

"I'm okay," I managed. "Just… a voice."

Nico nodded. "I _did_ warn you. It'll only get worse."

"Maybe Hazel should scout ahead and find us a safe place to shadow travel," Calypso said.

Hazel looked at Nico who nodded at the idea. "Alright," Hazel said.

I didn't like it, but Hazel forge ahead alone. I counted to twenty-three before she came back, her face drawn and pensive.

"There's a scary room ahead, Nico and I should be able to shadow travel us close to it, but I don't think we should shadow travel inside," Hazel said.

"Okay, hold hands everyone," Nico said.

We did so and I guess with the combine powers of Hazel and Nico, we melted into the shadows.

…

I never want to shadow travel again. It was weird melting into the shadows and coming out at the other side. I don't even want to know how Tyson could stand it.

We melted out at the entrance of what looked like a circular cathedral, with a ceiling so high it was lost in the gloom. Dozens of other tunnels led off in different directions, each echoing with ghostly voices. The thing that made me nervous was the floor. It was gruesome mosaic of bone and gems—human femurs, hip bones, and ribs twisted and fused together into a smooth surface, dotted with diamonds 0 rubies. The bones formed a patterns, like skeletal contortionist tumbling together, curling to protect the precious stones—a dance of death and riches.

"Touch nothing," Hazel said.

"Wasn't planning on it," Leo muttered.

Jason scanned the exits. "Which way now?"

For once, Nico looked uncertain. "This should be the room where the priests invoked the most powerful spirits. One of these passages leads deeper into the temple, to the third level and the altar of Hades himself. But which—?"

"That one." I pointed to a doorway at the opposite end of the room, a ghostly Roman legionnaire beckoned to us. His face was misty and indistinctive, but I got the feeling the ghost was directly at me, and it's possible he was one of my ancestors who had joined the Roman Legion.

Hazel frowned. "The one with the ghost?"

"Ghost?" Leo asked, "What ghost?"

"Apparently a ghost Frank can see," Nico said.

"What does the ghost look like?" Calypso asked.

"I can't be sure. It looks like a legionnaire," I said, "But there's something else… I don't know how I can tell, but I think it's an ancestor of mine."

"That might explain why it's looking at Frank," Nico said.

"An Ancestral guide," Piper mumbled.

"What?" I asked

"There's old Native American legend that where if family members ever got lot, that their ancestors would guide them home," Piper said.

"But I'm not lost," I said.

"No, but didn't you say Juno predicted you would complete your family circle?" Hazel asked, "If Piper's right it could be one of your ancestor's way of doing just that."

"Great, so one of my ancestors decided to guide me now," I mumbled. I felt like the floor was vibrating underneath him. Then I realized it _was_ vibrating.

"We need to get to that exit," I said. "Now!"

Hazel almost had to tackle me to restrained me. "Wait, Frank! This floor is _not_ stable, and underneath… well, I'm not sure _what's_ underneath. I need to scout a safe path."

"Hurry, then," he urged.

I drew my bow and herded Hazel along as fast as I dared. Leo scrambled behind me to provide light with Calypso behind him as the others guarded the rear. I prayed that Hazel get back quickly as my gut told me we only had second before…

In front of us, the legionnaire ghost vaporized. The cavern reverberated with monstrous roars—dozens, maybe hundreds of enemies coming from every direction. I recognized the throaty bellow of the Earthborn, the screech of gryphons, the guttural war cries of rogue Cyclopes—all sounds I remembered from the Battle of New Rome, amplified underground, echoing in my head even louder than the war god's voices.

"Hazel, don't stop!" Nico ordered. He pulled the scepter of Diocletian from his belt. Piper and Jason drew their swords. Even I was considering of trading my bow for my _gladius_ as the monsters spilled into the cavern.

A vanguard of six-armed Earthborn threw a volley of stones that shattered the bone-and-jewel floor like ice. A fissure spread across the center of the room, coming straight toward Leo Calypso and Hazel.

"Hazel, shadow travel!" I yelled.

Hazel saw the fissure and understood. She grabbed Leo and Calypso and all three melted into the shadows. At first I thought I might have doomed them by telling Hazel to do that, but then Hazel Leo and Calypso melted out of the shadows at the exit where the legionnaire once stood. Surprisingly no monsters appeared when they did.

"Go!" I yelled.

"What about the others?" Leo asked.

The entire cavern shuddered. I looked back and my courage crumbled to dust. Dividing the cavern was a new fifteen-meter-wide chasm, spanned only by two rickety stretches of bone flooring. The bulk of the monster army was on the opposite side, howling in frustration and throwing whatever they could find, including each other. Some attempted to cross the bridges, which creaked and cracked under their weight.

Jason, Piper, and Nico stood on the near side of the chasm, which was good, but they were surrounded by a ring of rogue Cyclopes and hellhounds. More monsters kept pouring in from the side corridors, while gryphons wheeled overhead, undeterred by the crumbling floor.

They wouldn't make it to the tunnel. Even if Jason tried to fly them, they'd be shot out of thin air. Nico might be able to shadow travel us, but something in my gut told me Leo Calypso and Hazel were meant to fight their foes on their own.

Then I remembered the voice of my ancestor: _At break, you must take charge_.

If Piper was right about the ancestral guidance, then the voice wasn't trying to lead me astray.

My mind raced, doing battle calculation. I saw exactly what would happen—where and when my friends would be overwhelmed, how all of us would be either killed or held captive here in this cavern. That is, unless I change the equation—I claim the bridges that held the sections once more.

Of "Nico!" I yelled. "The scepter."

Nico raised Diocletian's scepter, and the cavern air shimmered purple. Ghost climbed from the fissure and seeped from the walls—an entire Roman legion in full battle gear. They began taking on physical form, like walking corpes, but they seemed confused. Jason yelled in Latin, ordering them to form ranks and attack. The undead just shuffled among the monster, causing momentary confusion, but that wouldn't last.

I turned to Hazel Leo and Calypso. "Three is a safe number! You three need to keep going. Find the Doors, and save Annabeth and Percy."

Hazel's eyes widened. "What? No!"

"He's right," Calypso said understanding, thank the gods.

"Hit the deck!" Leo yelled.

I dove for cover as a volley of rocks slammed overhead. When I managed to get up, coughing and covered in dust, the entrance to the tunnel was gone. An entire section of the wall had collapsed, leaving a slope of smoking rubble.

'Hazel…" my voice broke, I had hope that she shadow traveled Calypso Leo and herself to safety. I couldn't afford to think otherwise.

Anger swelled in my chest. I strapped my bow back to my back and drew my _gladius_ as the symbol of Mars-the bloody spear glowed bright red.

 _Alright, time to retake my bridge,_ I thought as I charged toward the monster army.


	67. Frank's POV Part VII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part VII**

I was no expert on ghost, but I been around Dakota long enough to know that these legionnaires had to be demigods with ADHD.

They clawed their way out of the pit, then milled about aimlessly, chest-bumping each other for no apparent reason, pushing one another back into the chasm, shooting arrows into the air as if trying to kill flies and occasionally, out of sheer luck, throwing a javelin, a sword, or an ally in the direction of the enemy.

Meanwhile, the army of monsters got thicker and angrier, Earthborns threw volley of stones that plowed into the zombie legionnaire, crushing them like paper. Female demons with mismatch legs and fiery hair (My guess is that they're _empousai_ ) gnashed their fangs and shouted orders at the other monsters. Cyclopes advanced on the crumbling bridges, while seal-shaped humanoids that I recognized from Atlanta: telekhines, lobbed vials of Greek fire across the chasm. There was even some wild centaur in the mix, shooting flaming arrows and trampling their smaller allies under hoof. In fact, most of the enemy seemed to be armed with some kind of fiery weapon. Despite my new fireproof pouch, I found that extremely uncool.

I felt like I was back on the bridge on Venice. I slashed through monsters on the ground with my _gladius_ (Jason's lessons really helped0, switch to arrows whenever I need to shoot down gryphons, and turned into a bear size hellhound (I doubt the bridges would hold a hellhound Mrs. O'Leary's size) and took down any _empousai_ that had their back turns.

Things were going great until I felt a flare of pain in my arm when I was in human form shooting a gryphon. I dropped my bow and arrow and stumbled. I looked down and was astonished to find an arrow shaft protruding from my left biceps. My sleeve was soaked with blood.

The sight made me dizzy. Mostly it made me angry. I tried for a hellhound form or a dragon form, but both didn't work. The pain made it too hard to focus. Maybe I couldn't change shape while wounded.

Great, I thought. Now I find out.

I left my bow behind and was forced to use my _gladius_ and struck down some sort of reptilian lady warrior with snake trunks instead of legs. I kept at it, while trying to ignore the pain and blood dripping down my arm.

About five meters ahead, Nico was swinging his black sword with one hand, holding a scepter with the other. I notice that the sheath that normally holds the hunters knife was missing. I guess he either lost it or gave it to Hazel before we came into the House of Hades. I hope the second one. Nico was holding the Diocletian as he kept shouting orders to the legionnaires, but they paid him no attention.

Of course not, I thought. He's _Greek_.

Jason and Piper stood at Nico's back. Jason summoned gusts of wind to blast aside javelins and arrows. He deflected a vial of Greek fire right up the throat of a gryphon, which burst into flames and spiraled into the pit. Piper put her new sword to good use, while spraying food form the cornucopia in her other hand—using hams, chickens, apples, and oranges as interceptor missiles. The air above the chasm turned into a fireworks showing a flaming projectiles, exploding rocks, and fresh produce.

Still, my friends couldn't hold out forever. Jason's face was already beaded with sweat. He kept shouting in Latin: "Form ranks!" But the dead legionnaires wouldn't listen to him, either. Some of the zombie were helpful just by standing in the way, blocking monsters and taking fire. If they kept getting mowed down, though, there wouldn't be enough of them left to organize.

"Make way!" I shouted. To my surprise, the dead legionnaires parted for me. The closest ones turned and stared at me with blank eyes, which reminded of when my former _spactus_ Gray would do when he waited for orders.

"Oh, great…" I mumbled as I realized what was going on.

In Venice, Mars had warned me that my true test of leadership was coming. My ghostly ancestor had urged me to take charge. But if these dead Romans wouldn't listen to Jason, why should they listen to me? because I was a child of Mars, or maybe because…

The truth hit me. Jason wasn't quite Roman anymore. His time at Camp Half-Blood had changed him. Reyna had recognized that. Apparently so did the undead legionnaires. If Jason no longer gave off the right sort of vibe, or the aura of a Roman leader…

I made it to my friends as a wave of Cyclopes crashed into them. I lifted my sword to parry a Cyclops' club, then stabbed the monster in the leg, sending backward into the pit. Another one charged. I managed to impale him, but the blood loss was making me weak. My vision blurred. My ears rang.

I was dimly aware of Jason on my left flank, deflecting incoming missiles with wind; Piper on my right, yelling charmspeak commands—encouraging the monsters to attack each other or take a refreshing jump into the chasm.

"It'll be fun!" she promised.

A few listened, but across the pit, the _empousai_ were countering her orders. Apparently they had charmspeak too. The monsters crowded so thickly around me that I could barely use my sword. The stench of their breath and body odor was almost enough to knock me out, even without the arrow throbbing in my arm.

Without thinking about it, I summoned all my strength and yelled, "Cohorts—lock shields!"

The zombies surround me stirred. They lined up in front of me, putting their shields together in a ragged defensive formation. But they were moving too slowly, like sleepwalkers, and only a few had responded to my voice.

"They listened," Nico said in shock.

"Frank, how did you do that?" Jason yelled.

My head swam with pain. I forced myself not to pass out. "I'm the ranking Roman officer," I said. "They—uh, they don't recognize you, Jason. Sorry."

Jason grimaced, but he didn't look particularly surprised. "How can we help?"

I wish I had an answer. A gryphon soared overhead, almost decapitating me with its talons. Nico smacked it with the scepter of Diocletian, and the monster veered into a wall.

 _"Orbem formate!"_ I ordered.

About two dozen zombies obeyed, struggling to form a defensive ring around my friends and me. it was enough to give the demigods a little respite, but there were too many enemies pressing forward. Most of the ghostly legionnaires were still wandering around in daze.

"My rank," I realized, "I'm only a centurion."

"What does that mean?" Piper yelled as she stabbed a wild centaur.

Jason cursed in Latin. "It means Frank can't control a whole legion. He's not of high enough rank."

Nico swung his black sword at another gryphon. "Well, then, promote him!"

Am I too sluggish to hear him correctly, or did Nico just said promote me?

Jason shouted in his best drill-sergeant voice: "Frank Zhang! I, Jason Grace, praetor of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, give you my final order: I resign my post and give you emergency field promotion to praetor, with the full powers of that rank. Take command of this legion!"

I felt as if a door had opened somewhere in the House of Hades, letting in a blast of fresh air that swept through the tunnels. The arrow in my arm suddenly didn't matter. My thoughts were clear. My eyesight sharpened. The voices of Mars and Ares spoke in my mind, strong and unified: _Break them!"_

I raised my _gladius_ with new found strength as I yelled in a voice I didn't recognize: "Legion, _agmen formate_!"

Instantly, every dead legionnaire in the cavern drew their swords and raised their shields. They scrambled toward my position, pushing and hacking monsters out of their way until they stood shoulder to shoulder with the comrades, arranging themselves in a square formation. Stones, javelins, and fire rained down, but now I had the disciplined defensive line sheltering us behind a wall of bronze and leather.

"Archers!" I yelled. _"Eiaculare flammas!"_

I didn't hold out much hope the command would work. The zombies' bows couldn't be in good shape. But to my surprise, several dozen ghostly skirmishers nocked arrows in unison. Their arrowheads caught fire spontaneously and a flaming wave of death arced over the legion's line, straight into the enemy. Cyclopes fell. Centaurs stumbled. A telkhine shrieked and ran in circles with a burning arrow impaled in his forehead.

I heard a laugh behind me. I glanced back and couldn't believe what I saw. Nico di Angelo was actually smiling.

"That's more like it," Nico said. "Let's turn this tide!"

 _"Cuneum formate!"_ I yelled. "Advance with _pila_!"

The zombie line thickened through the enemy host. They lowered their spears in a bristling row and pushed forward.

Earthborn wailed and threw boulders. Cyclopes smashed their fists and clubs against the lock shields, but the zombies legionnaires were no longer paper targets. They had inhuman strength hardly wavered under the fiercest attack. Soon the floor was covered with monster dust. The line of javelins chewed through the enemy like a set of giant teeth, felling ogres and snake women and hellhounds. My archers shot gryphons out of the air and caused chaos in the main body of the monster army across the chasm.

My forces began to take control of their side of the cavern. One of the stone bridges collapsed, but more monsters kept pouring over the other one. I would have to stop that.

"Jason," I called, "can you fly a few legionnaires across the pit? The enemy's left flank is weak—see? Take it!"

Jason smiled. "With pleasure."

Three dead Romans rose into the air and flew across the chasm. Then three more joined them. Finally, Jason flew himself across and his squad began cutting through some very surprised-looking Telkhines, spreading fear through the enemy ranks.

"Nico," I said, "keep trying to raise the dead. We need more numbers."

"On it." Nico lifted the scepter of Diocletian, which glowed even darker purple. More ghostly Romans seeped from the walls to join the fight.

Across the chasm, _empousai_ shouted commands in a language I didn't know, but the gist was obvious. They were trying to shore up their allies and keep them charging across the bridge.

"Piper!" I yelled. "Counter those _empousai_! We need some chaos."

"Thought you'd never asked." She started catcalling at the female demons: "Your makeup is smeared! Your friend called you ugly! That one is making a face behind your back!" Soon the vampire ladies were too busy fighting one another to shout any commands.

The legionnaires moved forward, keeping up the pressure. They had to take the bridge before Jason got overwhelmed.

"Time to lead from the front," I decided. I raised my _gladius_ higher and called for a charge.


	68. Frank's POV Part VIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Frank's POV Part VIII**

I didn't even notice that I was glowing from the blessing of Mars until later when Jason told me. javelins couldn't touch me. Rocks somehow got deflected. Even with an arrow sticking out of my bicep, I had never felt so full of energy.

The first Cyclops I met went down so quickly it was almost a joke. I sliced him in half from shoulder to waist. The big guy exploded into dust. The next Cyclops backed up nervously, so I cut his legs out from under him and sent him into the pit.

The remaining monsters on our side of the chasm tried to retreat, but the legion cut them down.

"Tetsudo formation!" I shouted. "Single file, advance!"

I was the first one across the bridge, then Piper, then Nico, then the dead. The Dead had their shields locked on either side and over their heads deflecting all attacks. As the last of the zombies crossed, the stone bridge crumbled into the darkness, but by then it didn't matter.

Nico kept summoning more legionnaires to join the fight. Over the history of the Roman empire, thousands of Romans had served and died in Greece. Now they were back, answering the call of Diocletian's scepter.

I waded forward, destroying everything in my path.

"I'll burn you!" a telkhine squeaked, desperately waving a vial of Greek fire. "I have fire!"

I took him down and kicked the vial of Greek fire into the pit before it could explode.

An _empousa_ raked her claws against my chest, but I felt nothing. I sliced the demons into dust and kept moving. Pain was unimportant. Failure was unthinkable.

I was no longer just the muscles of the Prophecy of Seven. I was a Praetor—a leader (at least one of them). I was doing what I was born to do—fighting the enemies of Rome, upholding its legacy, protecting the lives of my friends and comrades.

My forces swept the enemy away, breaking their every attempt to regroup. Jason and rejoined us and now was fighting at my side along with Piper. Nico waded through the last group of Earthborn, slashing them into mounds of wet clay with his black Stygian sword.

Before I knew it, the battle was over. Piper chopped through the last _empousa_ , who vaporized with an anguish wail.

"Frank," Jason said, "you're on fire."

I looked down. A few drops of oil must have splattered on my pants, because they were starting to smolder, and for once I wasn't afraid of it. Thanks to Leo and Calypso, I had nothing to fear about fire—as long as I don't will my life line on fire. Still I had to bat at them until they stopped smoking as I didn't bring extra pair of clothes down here.

Next I dealt with the arrow. Following what I saw Percy did for Gwen with the Pillum, I broke the point of the arrow and pulled out the shaft by the tail. I felt only a warm, tugging sensation.

Piper made me eat a piece of ambrosia, as she bandaged my wound. "Frank, you were amazing. Completely terrifying, but amazing."

I had trouble processing her words. _Terrifying_ couldn't apply to me. I was just Frank.

My adrenaline drained away. I looked around me, wondering where all the enemies had gone. The only monsters left were my own undead Romans, standing in a stupor with their weapons lowered.

Nico held up his scepter, its orb dark and dormant. "The dead won't stay much longer, now that the battle is over."

I faced my troops. "Legion!"

The zombie soldiers snapped to attention.

"You fought well and made Rome proud," I told them. "Now you may rest in peace. Dismissed."

They crumbled into piles of bones, armor, shields, and weapons. Then even those disintegrated.

I felt as if I might crumble too. Despite the ambrosia, my wounded arm began to throb. My eyes were heavy with exhaustion. The blessing of Mars faded and left me depleted. I quickly realized this is what Percy must of felt after every battle due to the Mark of Achilles. Still, I had work that wasn't done yet.

"Hazel, Leo, and Calypso," I said. "We need to find them."

My friends peered across the chasm. At the other end of the cavern, the tunnel Hazel Leo and Calypso had entered was buried under a ton of rubble.

"We can't go that way," Nico said. "Maybe…"

Suddenly he staggered. I would have fallen, if Jason hadn't caught him.

"Nico!" Piper said. "What is it?"

"The Doors." Nico said. "Something's happening. Percy and Annabeth… we need to go _now_."

"But how?" Jason said. "That tunnel is _gone_."

I clenched my jaw. I didn't come this far to stand around helplessly while my friends were in trouble. "It won't be fun," I said, "but there's another way."


	69. Annabeth's POV Part XVII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XVII**

Getting killed by Tartarus didn't seem like much of an honor.

As I stared up at his dark whirlpool face, I decided I'd rather die in some less memorable way—maybe falling down the stairs, or going peacefully in my sleep at age eighty, after nice life with Percy. Yes, that sounded good.

It wasn't the first time I had faced an enemy I couldn't defeat by force. Normally, this would've been my cue to stall for time with some clever Athena-like chitchat.

Except my voice wouldn't work. I couldn't even close my mouth. For all I knew, I was drooling as badly as Percy does when he sleeps.

I was dimly aware of the army of monsters swirling around me, but after their initial roar of triumph, the horde had fallen silent. Percy and I should have been ripped to pieces by now. Instead, the monsters kept their distance, waiting for Tartarus to act.

The god of the pit flexed his fingers, examining his own polished black talons. He had no expression, but he straightened his shoulders as if he was pleased with his form.

 _It is good to have form,_ he intoned. _With these hands, I can eviscerate you._

His voice sounded like a backward recording—as if the words were being sucked into the vortex of his face rather than projected. In fact, _everything_ seemed to be drawn toward the face of this god—the dim light, the poisonous clouds, the essence of the monsters, even my own fragile life force. I looked around and realized that every object on this vast plain had grown a vaporous comet's tail—all pointing toward Tartarus.

I knew I should say something, but my instincts told me to hide, to avoid doing anything that would draw the god's attention.

Besides, what could I say? _You won't get away with this!_

That wasn't true. Percy and I had only survived this long because Tartarus was savoring his new form. He wanted the pleasure of physically ripping us to pieces. If Tartarus wished, I had no doubt he could devour my existence with a single thought, as easily as he'd vaporized Koios and Krios. Would there be any rebirth from that? I didn't want to find out.

Next to me, Percy did something I'd never seen him done in the ten years we knew each other. He dropped his sword. It just fell out of his hand and hit the ground with a thud. Even without the Death Mist, he still had the complexion of a corpse.

Tartarus hissed again—possibly laughing.

 _Your fear smells wonderful,_ said the god. _I see the appeal of having a physical body with so many senses. Perhaps my beloved Gaea is right, wishing to wake from her slumber._

He stretched out a massive purple hand and might have plucked Percy like a weed, but Bob interrupted.

"Begone!" A sphere magically shimmered in the Titan's hands as he held it like he done a hundred times before. "You have no right to meddle!"

"That's right," Cottus said.

"We won't let you stop our friends," Gyges said.

 _Meddle? Your Friends?_ Tartarus turned. _I am the lord of_ all _creatures of the darkness, puny_ _Iapetus Gyges and Cottus. I can do as I please._

His black cyclone face spun faster. The howling was so horrible, I fell to my knees and clutched my ears. Bob Gyges and Cottus stumbled, the wispy comet tails of their life force growing longer as it was sucked toward the face of the god.

Bob roared in defiance. He charged and thrust his spear at Tartarus' chest, only to be swatted away like a pesky insect. The Titan went sprawling.

 _Why do you three not disintegrate?_ Tartarus mused. _You three are nothing._

"We're not nothing," Gyges said. "We're friends of these demigods."

"And of Bob," Cottus said "No matter what he done as Iapetus, he made up several times more as Bob."

"That's right," said Bob. "You cannot control us. We are who we choose to be."

Small Bob jumped off my head and landed on the ground. I watched in amazement as Small Bob began to grow, his form flickering until the little kitten had become a full-sized, translucent skeletal Saber-toothed tiger.

"Small Bob, protect Annabeth and Percy," Bob ordered the not-so-Small Bob.

Gyges and Cottus used this moment to pick up huge boulders and throw it at Tartarus. Tartarus sucked it up of course, but Bob moved in and thrust his spear into the god's side, right below his breastplate.

Tartarus roared. He swatted at Bob, but the Titan backed out of reach. Bob thrust out his fingers. His spear yanked itself free of the god's flesh and flew back to Bob's hands. I gulped in amazement as I realized this was Bob's true power.

 _You will die first, Iapetus, then you two Gyges and Cottus,_ Tartarus decided. _Afterward, I will add all of your souls to my armor, where it will slowly dissolved, over and over, in eternal agony._

Tartarus pounded his fist against his breastplate. Milky faces swirled in the metal silently screaming to get out.

Bob turned toward Percy and me. The Titan grinned, which probably would not have been my reaction to threat of eternal agony.

"Take the Doors. Small Bob will protect you," Bob said. "We will deal with Tartarus."

Tartarus threw his head back and bellowed—creating a vacuum so strong that the nearest flying demons were pulled into his vortex face and shredded.

Deal _with me?_ the god mocked. _You are only a Titan and two Hekatonkheire, both lesser children of Gaea! I will make you suffer for your arrogance. And as for your tiny mortal friends and pet spactus…_

Tartarus swept his hand toward the monster army, beckoning them forward. _DESTROY THEM!_


	70. Annabeth's POV Part XVIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XVIII**

 _DESTROY THEM_.

I heard those words often enough that they shocked me out of my paralysis. I unstrapped the shield-watch that I still had since the _aurai_ attack.

"Percy!" I tossed it to him.

Thank gods Percy had also snapped out of it. He caught the watch, strapped it to his wrist and hit the stop button that spiraled out his shied. He then snatched up Riptide.

"Small Bob, help Percy!" I told the Now-Fully-Grown Saber-Tooth Spactus-Tiger.

Small Bob roared and both Perc and him charge to drive off the monsters.

I dove for the chains holding the Doors of Death holding my Drakon sword. With a single swipe I cut through the left side moorings. When I checked on Percy and Small Bob who were driving back the first wave, an _arai_ was about to strike when Small Bob pounced on it and destroyed it.

"Good boy!" Percy said before he scythed down a half dozen telekhines.

I lunged behind them and sliced through the chains on the other side.

The Doors shuddered, then opened with a pleasant _Ding!_

Bob continued to weave around Tartarus' legs, attacking and dodging to stay out of his clutches as Gyges and Cottus threw boulders and weapons and anything else they could find at the ancient god. Tartarus was obviously not used to fighting in a humanoid body as he lurched around and tried to avoid the two hundred missiles thrown at him.

More monsters surged toward the Doors. A spear flew past my head. I turned, draw out my dagger, and stabbed an _empousa_ through the gut. Once it was destroyed, I dove for the Doors as they started to close.

I kept them open with my foot as I fought. At least with my back to the elevator car, I didn't have to worry about attacks from behind.

"Percy, get over here!" I yelled.

"Come, Small Bob!" Percy called as if he was calling Mrs. O'Leary. Clearly Percy had no idea how to call on a cat, but fortunately Small Bob understood as it shrunk back down to kitten form and climbed up Percy's leg and chest to his shoulder.

Percy joined me with Small bob in the Doorway. Percy's face was dripping with sweat, and Small Bob's mouth was covered in golden ichor and monster dust.

"Gyges! Cottus! Come on!" I yelled as I smacked a carnivorous horse in the snout with the butt of my sword and sent the monster stampeding through the crowd.

"We still need someone to hold down the up button," Percy said.

An entire phalanx of Cyclopes charged forward, knocking smaller monsters out of the way. I figured I was about to die. "It had to be Rogue Cyclopes," I grumbled.

Percy stretched two hands out and closed his eyes as he concentrated. At the Cyclopes' feet, a red vein and a blue vein burst open. One sprayed the monsters with liquid fire from the Phlegethon. Another sprayed out dark familiar water onto the Cyclopes. The army either combusted in a tidalwave of head or disintegrate into nothing—not even monster dust.

Percy focused on two more which burst. This time black water came out of one and dark water came from the other and sprayed onto the monsters. This time the monsters were either dazed of confused, as if forgetting what they were doing here, or started moaning in depression as if giving up on life.

Then it dawns to me what those waters—other than Phlegethon—came from: Styx, Lethe, and Cocytus.

Percy must have realized because the waters from Lethe and Cocytus settled down, but the waters from Phlegethon and Styx kept spraying.

"Duck!" I cried.

Percy crouched, and I vaulted over him, bringing down my sword on the head of a heavily tattooed ogre.

Percy and I stood shoulder to shoulder in the doorway, waiting for the next wave. The exploding vein had scared the second wave of monsters, but I knew it wouldn't last long.

"Any ideas?" Percy asked, "Because if something doesn't happen now, one of us will have to stay behind and hold the up button."

Percy was right, and I had a feeling Percy is tempted to do it himself unless something happens _now_.

Meanwhile, Bob's attacks were getting slower. Tartaru was learning to control his new body. Gyges and Cottus were still throwing whatever they can find at the god, but Tartarus was either dodging them or smacking them aside. Bob charged, bellowing with rage, but Tartarus grabbed his spear and yanked it out of his hand. Then he kicked Bob, sending the titan rolling into Cottus and Gyges.

 _YIELD!_ Tartarus thundered.

"NO!" All three replied.

 _Die in defiance, then,_ said the god of the pit. _You three are nothing to me. my children giants were always better, stronger, and more vicious. They will make the upper world as dark as my realm!_

Tartarus snapped the spear in half, and I knew it was over. Even the monsters turned to watch, as if sensing that their master Tartarus was about to take the spotlight. The death of a Titan and two hundred-handed-ones was worth seeing.

"We got to do something," Percy said. "We can't let them die."

I wanted to argue, that Tartarus would kill us if we do. But Percy was right. Bob, Gyges, and Cottus helped us so far, and we have to help him.

Just then, a ripple of alarm passed through the army. In the distance, I could hear skrieks, screams, and a persistent _boom, boom, boom_ that was too fast to be the heartbeat in the ground—more like something large and heavy, running at full speed. An Earthborn spun into the air as if he'd been tossed. A plume of bright green gas billowed across the top of the monstrous horde like the spray from a poison riot hose. Everything in its path dissolved.

Across the swath of sizzling newly empty ground, I saw what caused the commotion. I started to grin.

The Maeonian drakon spread its frilled collar and hissed, its poison breath filling the battlefield with the smell of pine and ginger. It shifted its hundred-foot-long body, flicking its dappled green tail and wiping out a battalion of ogres.

Riding on its back was a red skinned giant with flowers in his rust-colored braids, a jerkin of green leather, and a drakon-rib lance in his hand.

"Damasen!" Percy and I yelled.

The giant inclined his head. "Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson, I took your advice. I chose myself a new fate."


	71. Annabeth's POV Part XIX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XIX**

 _What is this?_ The god of the pit hissed. _Why have you come, my disgraced son?_

Damasen glanced at Percy and me, and then at Cottus and Gyges. Both messages were clear: _Go. Now._

I realized that Damasen was aware of Bob's Cottus and Gyges' plan. I wouldn't be surprise if he approved it. Heck, since he's an Anti-Ares, I wouldn't be surprise if Damasen was wiser than the Greek form of the war god to come up with it.

He turned toward Tartarus. The Maeonian drakon stamped its feet and snarled.

"Father, you wish for a worthier opponent?" Damasen asked calmly. "I am one of the giants you are so proud of. You wish me to be more warlike? Perhaps I will start by destroying you!"

Damasen leveled his lance and charged.

The monstrous army swarmed him, but the Maeonian drakon flatten everything in its path, sweeping its tail and spraying poison while Damasen jabbed at Tartarus, forcing the god to retreat like a cornered lion.

Bob stumbled away from the battle with Cottus and Gyges by his side. Percy used the Phlegethon and Styx water to vaporized or combust any monster that tried to stop them.

Bob Gyges and Cottus limped to the Doors. Golden ichor flowed from Bob's arms and chest, and his clothes were tattered. Despite all that, he was grinning, his silver eyes bright with satisfaction.

Gyges and Cottus weren't much better as some of their arms were limped—either broken or dislocated.

"Gyges, Cottus, go with them!" Bob ordered. "I will hold the button."

Percy gawked at him. "Bob, you're in no condition—"

"Percy." My voice threatened to break. I hated myself for letting Bob do this, but I knew it was the only way. "We have to."

"We can't just leave them!"

"We must, brother," Gyges said.

"As long as Bob can hold the button and Damasen's drakon protects him, he should be fine," Cottus said.

Small Bob jumped off Percy's shoulder and snuggled against Bob. Bob picked him up and petted him before looking at his cat. "You must go with them. You must say hi to my granddaughters for me," Bob told Small Bob. "Annabeth and Percy will make sure you'll survive, right?"

A screaming Cyclops, sizzling from poison spray sailed over their heads.

Fifty yards away, the Maeonian drakon trampled through monsters, its feet making sickening _squish, squish_ noise as if stomping through grapes. On its back, Damasen yelled insults and jabbed at the god of pit taunting Tartarus farther away from the Doors.

Tartarus lumbered after him, his iron boots making craters on the ground.

 _You cannot kill me!_ he bellowed. _I am the pit itself. You might as well try to kill the earth. Gaea and I—we are eternal. We_ own _you, flesh and spirit!_

He brought his massive fist down, but Damasen sidestepped, impaling his javelin in the side of Tartarus' neck.

Tartarus growled, apparentlt more annoyed than hurt. He turned his swirling vacuum face toward the giant, but Damasen got out of the way in time. A dozen monsters were sucked into the vortex and disintegrated.

"Bob, don't!" Percy said, his eyes pleading. "Tartarus—he'll destroy you permanently. No coming back. No regeneration."

Bob shrugged. "Who knows what will be? You must go now. Tartarus is right about one thing. We cannot defeat him. But I swear by the River of Styx that we will try and buy you time.

The Doors tried to close on my foot.

"Twelve minutes," said the Titan. "Cottus and Gyges, make sure the Doors don't open!"

"Right!" Both said.

"Wait, guys." I jumped and threw my arms around the Titan's neck. I gave him a sisterly kiss on the cheek, my eyes full of tears, I couldn't see straight.

"Thanks for everything you did for us in both the Titan War and now: Silena, Castor, Pollux—everyone you saved, we will make sure they know what you and Damasen did to save their lives once more," I said. "We won't forget you and Damsen. Both of you are heroes, the greatest heroes of all the Titans and giants. We'll keep your story alive so that one day you can regenerate."

Bob ruffled my hair. Smile lines crinkled around his eyes. "That is good. Until then, be sure to tell the sun and my good children and granddaughters hello for me."

I realized Bob wasn't just talking about Zoë, he was talking about all the kids and grandkids, his legacy that is out there, including Calypso.

"We will," I said.

Cottus grabbed me, and I reluctantly let go. Gyges held onto Percy as they pulled us into the elevator car where Small Bob waited. I had one last glimpse of the Maeonian drakon shaking an ogre like a sock puppet, Damaen jabbing at Tartarus' legs.

The god of the pit pointed at the Doors of Death and yelled: _stop them_!

However the Drakon sprayed a poisonous goo at the monsters stpping them as the panels slid shut.


	72. Annabeth's POV Part XX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Annabeth's POV Part XX**

We quickly learned that the Doors of Death has an emergency door opening spell or something for those who tries to escape through them. Either the monsters that came before us had two keeping the doors shut or those chains kept them shut. Either way, Gyges and Cottus placed us on the ground and used their body and all of their remaining good arms to keep it shut. As the elevator car ascended, the Doors shook and tried to open, threatening to spill us into whatever was between life and death.

The elevator's easy-listening music didn't help. If all monsters had to hear that song about liking piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, no wonder they were in the mood for carnage when they reached the mortal world.

Percy and I stood in a corner in misery as Small Bob whined. We still had almost everything we had when we fell into Tartarus: Hal's knife, Daedalus' laptop, Percy's sword, thermos, and wrist watch. But that didn't matter to us right now.

"We left Bob and Damasen," Percy croaked. "They'll die for us—An oath made with final breath—"

"I know," I murmured. "Gods of Olympus, Percy, I know."

For so many years at Camp Half-Blood, Percy and I had chafed as other campers went on quests as while we stayed behind. We'd watched as others gained glory… or fail and didn't come back. Since we were seven years old, we couldn't wait to get on a quest, to lead one.

I remember the first quest we got five years ago when Percy lead a quest for the Master Bolt. He had to make the decision to leave his mother behind in hopes that Hades would keep his word to free her once we got back his Helm of Darkness. I watched Percy sacrificed a lot to face off Ares just because of an oath he made.

But this was different. Bob and Damasen most likely won't survive against Tartarus and we had to leave them behind. And I hated every bit of it.

Gygess and Cottus shoved the doors shut once more.

"I will kill Gaea," Percy muttered. "I will tear her apart with my bare hands."

I nodded, feeling the same thing. But I was also thinking about Tartarus' boast. He could not be killed. Neither could Gaea. Against such power, even Titans and giants were hopelessly outmatch. How are we supposed to do that?

I prayed to Athena that Bob could hold the UP button for twelve minutes. I prayed for strength and wisdom. I wondered what we would findonce we reached the top of this elevator ride.

If our friends weren't there, controlling the other side…

Percy grabbed my hand reassuringly. "We can do this," Percy said. "We _have_ to. After all, we're two of the seven greatest demigods of all time."

I smiled, glad that Percy didn't blame me for leaving Damasen and Bob behind. I wouldn't blame him if he did, but thank gods he didn't.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, we do."

Gyges and Cottus kept the Doors shut as the elevator shuddered and the music played, while somewhere below us, a Titan and Giant sacrificed their lives for our escape.


	73. Hazel's POV Part IX

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part IX**

I wasn't proud of crying.

After the tunnel collapsed and I got Leo and Calypso out of the way with shadow traveling, I wept and screamed like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum. I couldn't move the debris that separated us from the others. If the earth shifted anymore, the entire complex might have collapsed on our heads. Finally, I was tempted to shadow travel to the other side, but Leo stopped me.

"No, Hazel! Stop!" Leo yelled.

"I have to go save them!" I yelled.

"They'll be fine Hazel! But none of us would be if we don't stop the sorceress and the Giant!" Leo argued.

I wanted to scream and slapped him, but then Calypso did something I didn't expected: she singed.

It was calm and relaxing, and it helped me calm down and think straight. I heard that music could calm a beast, but Calypso's song was so musical and powerful, I couldn't help but think Calpyso voice was powerful enough to calm a stampede.

As I calmed down, I realized how unfair I was to Leo or Calypso.

The last time Leo and I were together, I zapped him into my past and shown him Sammy, his great-grandfather—my first boyfriend. I'd burdened him with emotional baggage he didn't need, and left him so dazed we had almost gotten killed by a giant shrimp monster.

Then there was Calypso, who had tried nothing more than to be our friend—to make up for the mistakes she made that led to her being imprisoned by the Olympians, by helping us destroy Gaea. I even gave her a chance on the first day I met her by letting her move into my cabin with me, and help ease the tension between her and Piper—which turned out to be nothing more than misunderstanding on Piper's behalf and jealousy from Calypso's.

Now, the three of us were here, stranded, while our friends might be dying at the hands of a monster army, and I'm the one throwing a fit.

When Calypso ended her song, I wiped my face. "Sorry."

Calypso smiled. "Your welcome, Hazel."

"Don't worry about it," Leo said. "If I were in your shoes, I would attack a few rocks myself."

I swallowed with difficulty. "Frank is… he's—"

"Listen," Leo said. "Frank Zhang has _moves_. He's probably gonna turn into a kangaroo and do some marsupial jujitsu on their ugly faces."

Leo and Calypso help me to my feet. Leo was right. Frank and the others weren't helpless. They would find a way to survive. The best thing we could do was carry on the quest we started.

"We better get going," I said. "Let's pass this crazy final test and save our friends."

…

I took us down the most dangerous path, which I took as a sign as the correct path.

As soon as we reached the first archway, the polecat Gale found us.

She scurried up my side and curled around my neck, chittering crossly as if to say: _Where have you been? You're late._

"Not the farting weasel again," Leo complained.

"You know this thing?" Calypso asked.

"Yeah—she's sort of a servant of Hecate." I explained how the goddess of magic wanted me to learn how to manipulate the Mist so I could fight the sorceress we're about to face in Percy's place.

At the end Calypso nodded. "Hecate is as mysterious as her Mist, but just like the Mist, she has a reason for doing the things she does."

"Well, I hope that thing let loose in close quarters like this, with my fire and all, or we'll explode."

Gale barked a pole cat insult at Leo.

I hushed them both. I didn't notice it before, probably because of Gale's surprise appearance, but I could sense the tunnel ahead, slopping gently down about three hundred feet, then opening into a large chamber. In that chamber was a presence… cold, heavy, and powerful. I hadn't felt anything like it since the cave in Alaska where Gaea had forced me to resurrect Alcyoneus: The bane of my father. I had thwarted Gaea's plans that time, but I'd had to pull down the cavern, sacrificing my mother's life and my own. I wasn't anxious to have a similar experience."

"Leo, Calypso, be ready," I whispered. "We're getting close."

"Close to what?" Leo asked.

A woman's voice echoed down the corridor: "Close to _me_."

A wave of nausea hit me so hard my knees buckled. The whole world shifted. My sense of direction, usually flawless underground, became completely unmoored.

Calypso Leo and I didn't seem to move, but suddenly we were three hundred feet down the corridor, at the entrance of the chamber.

"Welcome," said the woman's voice. "I've looked forward to this."

My eyes swept the cavern. I couldn't see the speaker.

The room reminded me of the Pantheon in Rome, except this place had been decorated in Hades Modern.

The obsidian walls were carved with scenes of death: plague victims, corpses on the battlefield, torture chambers with skeletons hanging in iron cages—all of it embellished with precious gems that somehow made the scenes even more ghastly.

As in the Pantheon, the domed roof was a waffle pattern of recessed square panels, but here each panel was a stela—a grave marker with Ancient Greek inscriptions. I wondered if actual bodies were buried behind them. With my underground senses out of whack, I couldn't be sure.

I saw no other exits. At the apex of the ceiling, where the Pantheon's skylight would've been, a circle of pure black stone gleamed, as if to reinforced the sense there was no way out of this place—no sky above, only darkness.

My eyes drifted to the center of the room. Fifty feet away was a set of freestanding elevator doors, their panels etched in silver and iron. Rows of chains ran down either side, bolting the frame to large hooks in the floor.

"Yep," Leo muttered. "Those are the Doors of Death all right."

The area around the doors was littered with black rubble. With a tightening sense of anger, I realized that an ancient altar to Hades had once stood there. It had been destroyed to make room for the Doors of Death.

"Where are you?" I demanded.

"Don't you see us?" taunted the woman's voice. "I thought Hecate chose you for your skills."

"I can," Calypso said. "Show yourself sorceress."

I heard a huph. "I should have known you could see us, Lady Calypso."

Another queasiness churned through my gut. On my shoulder, Gale barked and passed gas, which really didn't help.

Dark spots floated in my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but they only turned darker. The spots consolidated into a twenty-foot-tall shadowy figure looming next to the Doors.

The giant Clytius was shrouded in the black smoke, just as I'd seen in my vision at the crossroads before it changed. But now I could dimly make out his form—dragon-like legs with ash-colored scales; a massive humanoid upper body encase in Stygian armor; long, braided hair that seemed to be made from smoke. His complexion was as dark as Death's (I should know, since I had met Death personally). His eyes glinted cold as diamonds. He carried no weapon, but that didn't make him any less terrifying.

"So that's Clytius," Calypso said.

"For such a big dude, he's got a beautiful voice," Leo joked.

"Idiot," hissed the woman.

Halfway between the giant and me, the air shimmered. The sorceress appeared.

She wore an elegant sleeveless dress of woven gold, her dark hair piled into a cone, encircled with diamonds and emeralds. Around her neck hung a pendant like a miniature maze, on a cord set with rubies that made me thing of crystallized blood drops.

The woman was beautiful in a timeless, regal way—like a statue you might admire but could never love. Her eyes sparkled with malice.

"Pasiphaë," I said.

The woman inclined her head. "My dear Hazel Levesque."

Leo coughed. "You two know each other? Like Underworld chums, or—"

"Silence, fool," Pasiphaë's voice was soft, but full of venom. "I have no use for demigod boys—always so full of themselves, so brash and destructive."

"Hey, lady," Leo protested. "I don't destroy things much. I'm a son of Hephaestus."

"A tinkerer," snapped Pasiphaë. "Even worse. I knew Daedalus. His inventions brought me nothing but trouble. I don't see how Calypso fell in love with you!"

"That's none of your business!" Calypso scowled.

"Maybe so, but Gaea gave me direct order to let Clytius deal with you," Pasiphaë said. "A little pay back for turning down her offer when you had the chance."

"Why you—"

"Guys, calm down!" I put my arms out stopping them. "Let me take this sorceress, okay?"

"Listen to your friend," Pasiphaë said. "You two be good and let Hazel and me talk."

Pasiphaë paced in front of us, examining me, her eyes so full of hate it made my skin tingle. The sorceress' power radiated from her like heat from a furnace. Her expression was so unsettling and vaguely familiar…

Somehow, though, the giant Clytius unnerved me more.

He stood in the background, silent and motionless except for the dark smoke pouring from his body, pooling around his feet. _He_ was the cold presence I felt earlier—like a vast deposit of obsidian, so heavy that I couldn't possibly move it, powerful and indestructible and completely devoid of emotion.

"Your—your friend doesn't say much," I noted.

Pasiphaë looked back at the giant and sniffed with disdain. "Pray he stays silent, my dear. Gaea has given me the pleasure of dealing with you; but Clytius is my, ah, insurance. Just between you and me, as sister sorceresses, I think he's also here to keep my powers in check in case I forgot my new mistress' orders. Gaea is careful that way. Especially after what happened to Medea."

Leo snorted as if knowing what happened to Medea.

I was tempted to protest that I wasn't a sorceress—that Calypso was the real sorceress out of the three of us. I don't even want to know how Pasiphaë planned to "deal" with Leo and me, or what the Giant planned to "deal" with Calypso. But I straightened my back and tried to look confident. I even drew out the hunter's knife Nico gave me before we arrived at Epirus, the very same one Bianca gave him.

"Whatever you're planning," I said, "it won't work. We've cut through every monster Gaea's put in our path and Leo and I are two of the greatest heroes of all time. If you're smart, you'll get out of our way."

Gale the polecat gnashed her teeth in approval, but Pasiphaë didn't seemed impressed.

"You don't look like much," the sorceress mused. "But then again, demigods never do. My husband, Minos, king of Crete, was the son of Zeus. Although you would never have known it by looking at him. He was almost as scrawny as that one." She flicked a hand toward Leo.

"Wow," muttered Leo. "Minos must've done something really horrible to deserve _you_."

Pasiphaë's nostrils flared. "Oh… you have no _idea_. He was too proud to make a proper sacrifice to Poseidon, so the gods punished _me_ for his arrogance."

"The Minotaur," I suddenly remembered.

The story was so revolting and grotesque I had always shut my ears when they told it at Camp Jupiter. Pasiphaë had been cursed to fall in love with her husband's prize bull. She'd given birth to the Minotaur—half man, half bull.

Now, as Pasiphaë glared daggers at me, and I realized why her expression was so familiar.

The sorceress had the same bitterness and hatred in her eyes that my own mother sometimes had. It was my worse moments, Marie Levesque would look at me as if _I_ was the monstrous child, a cursed from the gods, the source of all Marie's problems. That's why the Minotaur story bothered me-not just the repellent idea that Pasiphaë and the bull, but the idea that a child, _any_ child, could be considered a monster, a punishment to its parents, to be locked away and hated. To me, the Minotaur had always seemed like a victim in the story.

"Yes," Pasiphaë said at last. "My disgrace was unbearable. After my son was born and locked in the Labyrinth, Minos refused to have anything to do with me. He said I had ruined _his_ reputation! And do you know what happened to Minos, Hazel Levesque? For his crimes, his grudge that led him to his death, and his pride? He was _rewarded_. He was made a judge of the dead of the Underworld, as if he had any right to judge others! Hades gave him that position. _Your father_. Even after what he did during the beginning of the Titan War, he was only put on probation, by _your_ father."

"My father is Pluto," I said.

Pasiphaë sneered. "Irrelevant. So you see, I hate demigods as much as I hate the gods. Any of your brethren who survive the war, Gaea has promised to me, so that I may watch them die slowly in my new domain. I only wish I had more time to torture all of you properly. Alas—"

In the center of the room, the Doors of Death made a pleasant chiming sound. The green UP button on the right side of the frame began to glow. The chains shook.

"There, you see?" Pasiphaë shrugged apologetically. "The Doors are in use. Twelve minutes, and they will open. I would imagine the Doors are being used by someone unauthorized."

Leo inched forward. Smoke rose from his fist. "Percy and Annabeth."

Calypso glared at Pasiphaë with dagger eyes. Which is more than I can say for myself. If Pasiphaë is right, then our friends will be here in twelve minutes. Either with help, or with enemies.

"Oh, not to worry." Pasiphaë waved her hand dismissively. "Clytius will handle them. You see, when the chime sounds again, someone on _our_ side needs to push the UP button or the Doors will fail to open and whoever is inside— _poof_. Gone. Or perhaps Clytius will let them out and deal with them in person. That depends on _you_ three."

"How do we affect your decision?" Calypso demanded.

"Well, obviously, we need only one set of demigods alive," Pasiphae said, "It could be Hazel or Leo who would be taken to Athens and sacrificed to Gaea at the Feast of Hope. Or your friends in the elevator."

"Obviously." Leo muttered.

My mouth tasted like tin. "And how do we choose for you?"

"Simple." The sorceress spread her hands. "Let's see who is still alive in twelve… actually eleven minutes, now."

The cavern dissolved into darkness.


	74. Hazel's POV Part X

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part X**

My internal compass spun wildly.

I remembered when I was very small, in New Orleans in the late 1930s, my mother had taken me to the dentist to get a bad tooth pulled. It was the first and only time I had ever received ether. The dentist promised it would make me sleepy and relax, but I felt like I was floating away from my own body, panicky and out of control. When the ether wore off, I'd been sick for three days.

This felt like I had a massive dose of Ether.

Part of me knew I was still in the cavern. Pasiphaë stood only a few feet in front of us. Clytius waited silently at the Doors of Death.

But layers of Mist enfolded me, twisting my sense of reality. I took one step forward and bumped into a wall that shouldn't have been there.

"Calypso, try some magic!" I yelled.

I turned to see that Calypso wasn't where she last stood.

"Calypso! Where are you?" Leo yelled.

Suddenly we heard cries that sounded like a girl in pain.

"Calypso!" Leo yelled.

"Leo, no!" I stopped him. "It's just an illusion. The corridor, the scream, everything."

Gale barked in agreement.

Pasiphaë laughed. Her voice sounded watery and far away. "Is it an illusion, Hazel Levesque, or something more? Don't you see what I have created?"

I felt so off balance I could barely stand, much less think straight. I tried to extend my senses, to see through the Mist and find the cavern again, but all I felt were tunnels splitting off in a dozen directions, going everywhere _except_ forward.

Random thought glinted in my mind, like gold nuggets coming to the surface of my brain: _Daedalus. The Minotaur locked away. Die slowly in my new domain._

"The Labyrinth," I said. "She's remaking the Labyrinth."

" _What_ now?" Leo asked as another scream echoed through the tunnel. "I thought the Labyrinth collapsed during that battle at Camp Half-Blood—like, it was connected to Daedalus' life forced or something, and then he died."

Pasiphaë's voice clucked disapprovingly. "Ah, but _I_ am still alive. You credit Daedalus with all the maze's secrets? _I_ breath magical life into his Labyrinth. Daedalus was nothing compared to me—the immortal sorceress, daughter of Helios, sister of Circe! Now the Labyrinth will be _my_ domain."

"It's an illusion," I insisted. "We just have to break through it."

Even as I said it, the walls seemed to grow more solid, the smell of mildew more intense. What worse was that the screams seem to worsen.

"Too late, too late," Pasiphaë crooned. "The maze is already awake. It will spread under the skin of the earth once more while your mortal world is leveled. Clytius is even draining Calypso of her magic as we speak to help make it possible. And you demigods… you _heroes_ … will wander its corridors, dying slowly of thirst and fear and misery. Or perhaps, if I am feeling merciful, you will die quickly, in great pain!"

"Release Calypso!" Leo yelled.

Holes opened in the floor beneath my feet. I grabbed Leo and pushed him aside as a row of spikes shot upward, impaling the ceiling.

"Run!" I yelled.

Pasiphaë's laughter echoed down the corridor. "Where are you going, young sorceress? Running from an illusion?"

I didn't answer. I was too busy trying to keep us alive. Behind us, row after row of spikes shot toward the ceiling with a persistent _thunk, thunk, thunk_.

I pulled Leo down a side corridor, leaped over a trip wire, then stumbled to a halt in front of a pit twenty feet across.

"How deep is that?" Leo gasped for breath. His pants leg was ripped where one of the spikes grazed him.

My sense told that the it was at least twenty feet straight down, with a pool of poison at the bottom. Could I even trust my senses? Whether or not Pasiphaë had created a Labyrinth, I believed they were still in the same cavern, being made to run aimlessly back and forth while Pasiphaë and Clytius watched in amusement. Illusion or not; unless I could figure out how to get out of this maze, the traps would kill us. If only I could shadow travel us out of this illusion.

Wait, can I do that?

I never thought of it, but I remember what Nico said about needing to focus on where I'm going when shadow traveling. But how can I do that.

"Eight minutes now," said the voice of Pasiphaë. "I'd love to see you survive, truly. That would prove your worthy sacrifices to Gaea in Athens. But then, of course, we wouldn't need your friends in the elevator."

Then, out of the darkness and traps I heard her voice—Calypso's voice, singing. It seemed encouraging, and empowered me with power.

"Leo, grab my hand," I said.

"But—"

"Just do it!" I said.

Leo reluctantly grabbed my hand and I concentrate on the chute of shadowy darkness bellow us. Sure enough a chute opened below our feet and we fell through. But before we hit the ground, I focus on the shadows to direct us to Pasiphaë. We melted into the shadows.

…

Pasiphaë backed away from as we melted out of the shadows. The maze was gone. Calypso was a few feet away drench in sweat and panting. Obviously she used a lot of her power to contact us. Clytius stood with his back to them, watching the Doors of Death. But something wrong. Her immortal aura that was with her when she arrived had disappeared.

I was exhausted after trying to manipulating the Mist like I did and shadow traveling at the very same time, but I wasn't done. Thanks to Calypso's magic, I realized something else, Pasiphae's greatest fear.

"You must really hate demigods," I said, trying to mimic Pasiphaë's cruel smile as I drew my hunter's knife. "We always get the best of you, don't we, Pasiphaë?"

Nonsense!" screamed Pasiphaë. "I will tear you apart! I will —"

"We always pulling the rug out from under your feet," I sympathized. "Your husband betrayed you. Theseus killed the Minotaur and stole your daughter Ariadne. Now Leo and I had escaped your own maze with your own Mist. But you knew it would come to this, didn't you? You always fall in the end."

"I am immortal!" Pasiphaë wailed. She took a step back, fingering her necklace. "You cannot stand against me!"

"You can't stand at all," I countered. "Look."

I pointed at the feet of the sorceress. A trap door opened underneath Pasiphaë. She fell, screaming, into a bottomless pit that didn't really exist.

The floor solidified. The sorceress was gone.

Leo stared at me in amazement. "How did you—"

"With magic," Calypso interrupted with a smile as she clutched a rock. "You did well Hazel. I would think your dad will be proud."

"Thanks Calypso," I said.

Just then the elevator dinge. Rather than pushing the UP button, Clytius stepped back from the controls, keeping our friends trapped inside.

I didn't even realized twelve minutes had passed, but Calypso must have. She held up the rubble she grabbed and chucked it with all of her strength.

Despite being thirty feet away, the rubble spun straight past Clytius and slammed the UP button.

Clytius shook out of his confusion and raised his foot ready to smash whoever come out. But out of nowhere a skeletal fully grown saber tooth tiger jumped out and lunged at the giant at full power.

Inside the elevator a familiar voice said, "Good boy, Small Bob!"

The smoke inside cleared revealing Annabeth and Percy on the ground a limped as two humanoid giants with brown hair, brown clay like eyes, each with a hundred hands each stood over them.

"Two of the Hundred Handed ones," Calypso said with her eyes widened, "Cottus and Gyges."

"It been a long time, Calypso," one of the giants said.

"I hope we're not too late for the party," the other one said.

"Oh, no, you're just in time," a female voice said.

Gale squeaked excitedly and jumped from my shoulder, scampering to the entrance of the cavern, where a blond woman stood in a black dress, the Mist swirling around her.

The skeletal-sabertooth tiger got off Clytius as he stumbled back.

"In fact, you're just in time to help us defeat Clytius once more," Hecate said. She spread her arms. Blazing torches appeared in her hands.


	75. Hazel's POV Part XI

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part XI**

If I were in the Giant's position, I would run away right now. Especially when I'm about to fight Hecate, a skeletal Saber-Tooth Tiger named Small Bob, two of the hundred handed ones, a titaness, and two conscious demigods.

Sadly, that's not what Clytius did.

When he saw the goddess' torches blazing, the giant seemed to recover his wits. He stomped his foot, shaking the floor. Dark smoke billowed out of him and covered the ground.

Annabeth spoke in a voice that wasn't hers—the words as deep as a bass guitar: _"Bold words. You forget, goddess. When we last met you have the help of Hercules and Dionysus—the most powerful heroes in the world, both of them destined to become gods. Now you bring these?_ "

He gestured toward Leo and me.

"True these two and their friends are not destined to be gods. But they are the greatest heroes of from their generation," Hecate said. "And so will their friends."

The Mist around Hecate met the dark smoke of Clytius and steamed and sizzled, like lava rolling into the sea.

"Leo, protect Calypso," I said. "Make sure Clytius doesn't drained her of anymore magic."

"Right," Leo backed up to his girlfriend.

I sheath my hunter's knife and switch to my sword.

The giant spread his arms. The dome ceiling shook, and the giant's voice echoed through the room, magnified a hundred times.

 _Great heroes?_ The giant demanded. It sounded as if he were speaking through a chorus of the dead, using all the unfortunate souls who'd been buried behind the dome's stelae. _Because this girl learned your magical tricks and shadow traveling, Hecate? Because you allow these weaklings to hide in your Mist and allies?_

A sword appeared in the giant's hand—a Stygian iron blade much like Nico's except five times the size. _I do not understand why Gaea would find any of these demigods worthy of sacrifice I will crush them like empty nutshells._

Just then a concentrated water blast fired from behind and slammed into Clytius from behind.

I looked to see Percy holding up his thermos. "You talk too much!"

Annabeth was up as well. "Hazel, now!"

I nodded. I concentrated at the dome roof and screamed with all my might. The walls of the chambers made a cracking sound like ice in warm water, a dozen gems streaked toward the giant, punching through his armor like buck shot.

Clytius staggered backwards just as the Hundred handed ones: Gyges and Cottus, picked up large rubbles and threw them at him.

The rubbles hit Clytius with so much force he fell forward. Annabeth and Percy used the moment to raise their swords (when did Annabeth get a sword, and why is it look like its made out of bone), and cut through the chains. The doors disappeared the moment the chains were cut.

 _NO!_ Clytius roared. _You will pay for that._

Small Bob pounced and sank in its teeth through Clytius thigh. I used the moment to charge forward with my _spatha_ and jabbed my imperial gold blade into his _gluteus maximus_.

Clytius roared , and arched his back, waddling away from me and small bob. Mist swirled around me, hissing as it met the giant's black smoke.

I realized the Mist was Hecate's way of assisting me—lending me her strength to keep up a defensive shroud.

"That was for my brother and my father's altar!" I yelled.

 _You will pay for this, Hazel Levesque!_ Clytius said.

"No, you're wrong," Hecate said, "Because from the moment I entered the cavern I been buying time for her friends to come."

In front of me, the air rippled. The Mist thickened, creating a doorway, and four people stepped through.

I swept with relief. Frank's arm was bleeding and bandage, but he was alive. Next to him stood Nico, Piper and Jason—all with their swords drawn.

"Sorry we're late," Jason said. "Is this the guy who needs killing?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay so there are more chapters than I thought, but I still plan to get this story done tonight despite my four chapter plan.


	76. Hazel's POV Part XII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Hazel's POV Part XII**

Now I really feel bad for Clytius.

We attacked from every direction—Leo shooting fire at the giant's legs, Frank Piper and Annabeth jabbing at his chest, Jason flying into the air as Percy used his thermos to launched himself into the air and both stabbing at his face. The hundred handed ones throwing rubble from behind. Even I moved in with Hecate's mist and slashed a few times as Small Bob pounced on the giant. Even Calypso helped once in a while by throwing stones at the giant in order to distract him.

Each time the giant's smoky veil started creeping around one of us, Nico was there, slashing through it, drinking in the darkness with his stygian blade.

Clytius snarled, turning back and forth as if he couldn't decide which of us to kill first. _Wait! Hold still! No! Ouch!_

The darkness around him dispelled completely, leaving nothing to protect him except his battered armor. Ichor oozed from a dozen wounds. The damage healed almost as fast as it was inflicted, but I could tell the giant was tiring.

One last time, Jason flew and Percy launched into the air and stab him in the chest. The giant's breast plate shattered. Clytius staggered backward. His sword dropped to the floor. He fell to his knees and we encircled him.

Only then Hecate step forward, her torches raised. Mist curled around the giant, hissing and bubbling as it touched his skin.

"And so it ends," Hecate said.

 _It does not end._ Clytius voice echoed from somewhere above, muffled and slurred. _My brethren have risen. Gaea waits only for the blood of Olympus. It took all of you to defeat me. What will you do when the Earth Mother open her eyes?_

Hecate turned her torches upside down. She thrust them like daggers at Clytius' head. The giant's hair went up faster than dry tinder, spreading down his head and across his body until the heat of the bonfire made me wince. Clytius fell without a sound, face-first in the rubble of Hades' altar. His body crumbled to Ashes.

For a moment, no one spoke. Then Hecate faced me. "You should go now, Hazel Levesque. Lead your friends out of this place. You must speed your way to Athens. Clytius was not wrong. The giants have risen— _all_ of them, stronger than ever. Gaea is on the very edge of waking. The Feast of Hope will be poorly named unless you arrive to stop her."

She then turned to Gyges and Cottus. "You'll find your lost brother Briares at the forges of the Cyclopes. Seek Triton at Atlanta assist him with his quest, and I'm sure he'll reunite the three of you."

Finally, she turned to Calypso. "I'm sorry for your long wait in freedom, but I am glad to see your wish finally come true."

The chamber rumbled. Another stela crashed to the floor and shattered.

"The House of Hades is unstable," Hecate said. "Leave now. We shall meet again."

The goddess dissolved and the Mist evaporated.

"Well, that was weird," Percy said.

We turned toward him and Annabeth, realizing we haven't given them a proper greeting.

"Bro!" Jason gave Percy a bear hug.

"Back from Tartarus!" Leo whooped. "That's my peeps!"

Piper threw her arms around Annabeth and cried.

Gyges and Cottus stood aside grinning.

"Hello, Percy, it been a long time," Calypso greeted.

"Calypso," Percy responded in shock. "You're here! How?"

"You can thank me," Leo raised his hand. "I kind of had a crash into her dinning table."

"What?"

"Long story," Leo said as he held Calypso's hand.

Percy noticed and smiled. "Well, either way, thank you Leo for freeing Calypso, and Calypso, I'm sorry for the Olympians not freeing you themselves."

"It's all right, Percy," Calypso said she turned to Annabeth, "And it's an honor to meet you Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth seemed taken back, but she nodded. "It's an honor to meet you, Calypso."

As they talked, Frank joined me. He gently folded his arms around me.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks to you," I said, "But Frank—what happened to your arm?"

He managed a smile. "Long story. We're alive. That's what matters."

I was so giddy with relief it took me a moment to notice Nico, standing by himself, his expression full of pain and conflict.

"Hey," I called to him beckoning with my arm.

He hesitated, then came over and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm glad you're okay," he said. "The ghosts were right. Only one of us made it to the Doors of Death. You… you would have made Dad proud."

I smiled, cupping my hand gently to his face. "He would be proud of both of us. We were only able to defeat Clytius thanks to you."

I brushed my thumb under Nico's eye and wondered if he had been crying. Ever since Nico came back into Tartarus, I haven't been able to understand what was going on with him. I just wonder what happened to him over the last few weeks. After all we'd just been through, I was more grateful than ever to have a brother, and somewhere out there I have a sister too.

At that moment the ceiling shuddered. Cracks appeared in the remaining tiles. Columns of dust spilled down.

"We've got to get out of here," Jason said. "Uh, Frank…?"

Frank shook his head. "I think one favor from the dead is all I can manage today."

"Wait, what?" I asked.

Piper raised her eyebrows. "Your _unbelievable_ boyfriend called in a favor as a child of Mars. He summoned the spirits of some dead warriors, made them lead us here through… um, well, I'm not sure, actually. The passages of the dead? All I know is that it was _very, very_ dark."

To our left, a section of the wall split. Two ruby eyes from a carved stone skeleton popped out and rolled across the floor.

"We'll have to shadow travel," I said, "Everybody grab hands."

"Right!" Nico agreed.

"Wait, Small Bob," Annabeth called.

The Saber Tooth Tiger skeleton shrank down to a calico kitten that flickered between that form and skeleton form and ran to her and climbed up until it was nicely placed on her shoulder."

"Where did you get that?" Leo asked.

"Long story," Percy said with a slight sadness, "Gyges, Cottus, grab on!"

The two giants shrank down to human size and both used a hand to hold onto Percy and Annabeth. We made a hasty circle. I envisioned the Greek Country side above us. The cavern collapsed and we melted into the shadows.

…

We appeared on the hillside overlooking the River Acheron. The sun was just rising, making the water litter and the clouds glow orange. The cool morning air smelled like honeysuckle.

I was holding hands with Frank on my left, Nico on my right. We were all alive and mostly whole. The sunlight in the trees was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I wanted to live in that moment—free of monsters and gods and evil spirits.

Everyone let go and collapsed on the ground to catch their breath. I joined them as well. The _Argo II_ still floated over the river a few hundred yards away. I knew that we should signal Coach Hedge and tell him we were alive. He must be worried at this point. But at the moment, most of us was too tired, except for Cottus and Gyges who stood over Percy and Annabeth protectively. Just what happened in Tartarus that led to two of the Hundred Handed ones and a Spactus-kitten to befriend them.

We began to exchange stories

Frank explained what had happened with the ghostly legion and army of monsters—how Nico had used the scepter of Diocletiian and how bravely Jason and Piper had fought.

"Frank is being modest," Jason said. "He controlled the entire legion. You should've seen him. Oh, by the way…" Jason glanced at Percy. "I resign my office and gave Frank a field promotion to praetor. Unless you want to contest that ruling."

Percy grinned. "No argument here. Heck, he can have my rank if Camp Jupiter takes him when this is over."

 _"Praetor?"_ I stared at Frank.

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Well… yeah. I know it seems weird."

I threw my arms around him in a hug and kissed him. "It seems _perfect_."

Leo clapped Frank on the shoulder. "Way to go, Zhang. Now you can order Octavian to fall on his sword."

"Tempting," Frank agreed. He turned apprehensively to Percy. "But, you guys… Tartarus has to be the _real_ story. I mean, two of the hundred handed ones, a spacti-kitten that can turn into a sabertooth tiger—what exactly happened to you two down there.

Percy laced his fingers through Annabeth's.

I looked at Calypso, who didn't look pain as I thought she would be. Infact, she seemed to be holding Leo's hand reassuringly.

I wish I could say the same about Nico. He had a look of pain in his eyes. Maybe he was thinking how lucky Percy and Annabeth were to have each other and found help down there, while Nico had to travel through Tartarus alone with no help.

"We'll tell you the story," Percy promised. "But not yet, okay? I'm not ready to remember that place."

"No," Annabeth agreed, "But—" She turned to Calypso, "We do have a message for you, from Bob—formally known as Iapetus."

Calypso's eyes widened. "What did he say?"

"Hello," Percy said. "Bob wanted us to tell you, hello."

Gyges and Cottus patted Percy and Annabeth on the back. I didn't what was going on exactly, but I guess they left friends behind.

"Thanks," Calypso said. "I think our ride is here."

I turned. The _Argo II_ veered to port, its aerial oars in motion, its sails catching the wind. Festus' head glinted in the sunlight. Even from the distance, I could hear him creaking and clanking in jubilation.

"That's my boy!" Leo yelled.

As the ship got closer, I saw Coach Hedge standing at the prow.

"About time!" the coach yelled down. He was doing his best scowl, but his eye gleamed with enjoyment. I think he was happy to see us. "What took you so long, cupcakes? You kept your visitor waiting!"

"Visitor?" Annabeth asked.

At the rail next to Coach Hedge, a dark haired girl appeared wearing a purple cloak, her face so covered with soot and bloody scratches that I almost didn't recognize her.

Reyna had arrived.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, there are still two chapters left as far as I know of, but since the major battles are over they're probably short


	77. Percy's POV Part XVII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XVII**

After everything and I been through, I wouldn't be surprise if the Athena's Parthenos will start moving just to strike me down.

Leo's new mechanical hoist system had lowered the statue onto the hillside with surprising ease. Now the forty-foot tall goddess gazed serenely over the river Acheron, her gold dress like molten metal in the sun as Gyges and Cottus grew into forty-foot giants themselves to un hook it.

"Incredible," Reyna admitted watching the statue and two of the Hundred-Handed-ones work on it.

She was still red-eyed from crying. Soon after she'd landed on the _Argo II_ , her pegasus Scipio had collapsed, overwhelmed by the poisoned claw marks from the gryphon attack the night before. Reyna had put the horse out of his misery with her golden knife, turning the pegasus into dust and scattered in the sweet-smelling Greek air. I admired my not-to-long-ago adopted sister for giving the Pegasus a proper death, but I know Reyna had lost a loyal friend. I don't even want to think how I would react if Blackjack gave his life taking me on a life-or-death journey.

The praetor circled the Athena Parthenos warily, avoiding being stepped on by Gyges and Cottus in their giant form. "It looks newly made."

"Yeah," Leo said. "We brushed off the cobwebs, used a little Windex. It wasn't hard."

The _Argo II_ hovered just overhead. With Festus keeping watch for threats on the radar, the entire crew decided to eat lunch on the hill side while we discuss what to do. After the last few weeks, I figured we all deserved a good meal together.

"Hey, Reyna," Annabeth called while petting Small Bob (Annabeth and I agree that she would keep Small Bob in Cabin Six and take care of him when we get back since I already have Mrs. O'Leary), "Have some food. Join us."

"Gyges! Cottus! Come on!" I yelled. "Surely you two are hungry!"

Both brothers joined us, but Reyna just glanced over, her dark eyebrows furrowed, as if _join us_ didn't quite compute—at least it doesn't come from a Greek Demigod I would guess. I had never seen Reyna without her armor before. It was on board the ship, being repaired by Buford the Wonder Table as well as her two automaton dogs Aurum and Argentum (how was she able to bring them here?). She wore a pair of jeans and a purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt that made her look like a normal teenager—except for the knife at her belt and that guarded expression, like she was ready for an attack from any direction.

"All right," she said finally.

We scooted over to make room for her in the circle. She sat cross legged next to Annabeth, picked up a cheese sandwich produced by Piper's Cornucopia, and nibbled at the edge.

"So," Reyna said. "Frank Zhang… praetor."

Frank shifted, wiping crumbs from his chin. "Well, yeah. Field promotion."

"To lead a different legion," Reyna noted. "A legion of ghost."

Hazel put her arm protectively through Frank's, although I didn't see it being necessary. After an hour at the sick bay, he looked a lot better. Not to mention, I had a feeling from the moment I saw him in the Temple of Hades that Mars must have blessed him. Frank was no longer a baby face sumo-wrestler. He was now a muscular and more confident guy who apparently hit a growth spurt. I even noticed that strapped to his belt was a brand new _gladius_ with a crest on the handle of a bloody spear—symbol of Mars.

"Reyna," Jason said, "you should've seen him."

"He was _amazing_ ," Piper agreed.

"Frank is a leader," Hazel insisted. "He makes a great praetor."

Reyna's eyes stayed on Frank, like she was trying to guess his weight. "I believe you," she said. "I approve."

Frank blinked. "You do?"

Reyna smiled dryly. "A son of Mars, the hero who helped bring back the eagle of the legion and one of the seven greatest demigods to ever exist… I'll be happy to work with a demigod like that and call him my brother."

"Nice to know you haven't change your mind about sibling relationship between praetors," I responded.

Reyna nodded. "I'm just wondering how to convince the Twelfth Fulminata."

Frank scowled. "Yeah. I've been wondering the same thing."

"The legion will listen to Reyna," I said. "Once she returns Athena's Parthenos, I'm sure they will."

Reyna chewed her sandwhich as if it were cardboard. "I hope you're right, Percy. I broke the laws of the legion coming here."

"Caesar broke the law when he crossed the Rubicon," Frank said. "Great leaders have to think outside the box."

"Besides, you flew all the way here on your own, track the ship down on Annabeth's plea to help bring peace between our camps," I said, "You may not be one of the seven greatest heroes of all time, but you're still a great hero in my books. You and Nico both."

Nico look up. "Me?"

"Yeah, Annabeth and I may have survive Tartarus, but you survived it first," I said, "And cause of it we found out how to free the Doors of Death and reunite us."

"That's true," Hazel agreed.

Everyone gave Nico a pat on the back in agreement. Nico was skittish about it, but he didn't argue. I don't think he had a pat on the back since after the Battle of Manhattan.

Still, my smile was more faked. I couldn't help but think of Bob and Damasen and their sacrificed their lives so that Gyges, Cottus, Small Bob, Annabeth and me could sit here now, enjoying time with our friends. It wasn't fair.

Annabeth looked at me as if asking if we should just go ahead and tell them Bob's sacrifice.

I nodded.

"Guys, we have something to tell you," Annabeth said. "There's two more people we should thank for this."

Annabeth and I started telling them the tale of how Bob and Damasen helped us, Gyges and Cottus jumping in once in a while jump in to fill in parts we weren't aware of.

At the end, everyone went silent except for the purring of Small Bob. Calypso wipe a tear from her eyes. Even Coach seem lost the enthusiasm he had during the tale when we got to the end.

"We got to let the camps know what Bob and Damasen did for us," Annabeth said. "We can't let their story die."

"We won't," Coach Hedge said, "I'll beat up anyone who says otherwise."

No one argued against him.

"I'll do my part and making sure the Romans know," Reyna said.

"That's all we can ask for," I said.

"So—" Leo said while trying to comfort Calypso. "The twenty-million-peso question is: What do we do with this slightly used forty-foot-tall statue of Athena? I mean, if it's not returned, then Bob's and Damasen's sacrifice would be for nothing."

Reyna squinted at the Athena Parthenos. "As fine as it looks on this hill, I didn't come all this way to admire it. According to Annabeth, it must be returned to Camp Half-Blood by a Roman leader. Do I understand, correctly?"

Annabeth nodded. "I had a dream down in… you know, Tartarus. I was on Half-Blood Hill, and Athena's voice said, _I must stand here. The Roman must bring me."_

"It makes sense," Nico said eating a pomegranate fruit. "The statue is a powerful symbol. A Roman returning it to the Greeks… that could heal the historic rift, maybe even heal the gods of their split personalities."

Coach Hedge swallowed a strawberry along with the fork he was eating with. "Now, hold on. I like peace as much as the next satyr—"

"You _hate_ peace," Leo said.

"The point is, Valdez, we're only—what, a few days from Athens? We got an army of giants waiting for us there. We went to all the trouble of saving this statue—"

" _I_ went to the most of the trouble," Annabeth reminded him, "As part of _my_ test as one of the Prophecy of Seven."

"—because that prophecy called it the _giants' bane_ ," the coach continued. "Why aren't we taking it to Athens with us? Obviously our secret weapon."

"Coach, it's the bane of the giants because of the fact it can heal the rift," I argued, "It has nothing to do with helping us in Athens."

"That's right," Piper agreed, "Plus there's something else."

She unsheathed her dagger Katoptris and set it on her plate. The blade show nothing but the sky, but if Piper wanted to, I'm sure it will show more.

"Since we got back to the ship," Piper said, "I've been seeing some bad stuff in the knife. The Roman legion is almost within striking distance of Camp Half-Blood. They're gathering reinforcements: spirits, eagles, wolves."

"Octavian," Reyna growled. "I _told_ him to wait."

"When we take over command," Frank suggested, "our first order of business should be to load Octavian into the nearest catapult and fire him as far away as possible. If he somehow survives, we should then have exiled him."

"Agreed," Reyna said. "But for now—"

"He's intent on war," Annabeth put it. "He'll have it, unless we stop him."

Piper turned the blade of her knife. "Unfortunately, that's not the worst of it. I saw images of a possible future—the camp in flames, Roman and Greek demigods lying dead. And Gaea…" her voice failed, but we had the idea.

I remembered the god Tartarus in physical form, looming over me. I'd never felt such helplessness and terror. Not even when I thought Mrs. O'Leary attacked me when I was seven. I still burn with shame, remembering how my sword had slipped out of my hand.

If Gaea was that powerful as well, and with her army of giants by her side, I didn't see how seven demigods could stop her, especially when most of the gods were incapacitated. We had to stop the giants _before_ Gaea woke, or it was game over.

Our best hope is that by returning the Athena Parthenos before Gaea wake up will heal the gods in time to help us.

"So Reyna takes the statue," I said. "And we continue to Athens."

Leo shrugged. "Cool with me. But, uh, a few pesky logistical problems. We got two weeks until that Roman feast day when Gaea is supposed to rise?"

"The Feast of Spes," Jason said. "That's on the first of August. Today is—"

"July eighteenth," Frank offered. "So, yeah, from tomorrow, exactly fourteen days."

Hazel winced. "It took us _eighteen_ days to get from Rome to here—a trip that should've only taken two or three days, max."

"So, given our usual luck," Leo said. " _maybe_ we have enough time to get the _Argo II_ to Athens, find the giants, and stop them from waking Gaea. _Maybe_. But how is Reyna supposed to get this massive statue back to Camp Half-Blood before the Greeks and Romans put each other through the blenders."

"Well, she'll need a team," I said. "There's no way Reyna should go back on her own. Not to mention, there's a chance Gaea will send even more forces after her now that she has the statue."

"I'm fine with that," Reyna agreed, "But how?"

"What about the Labyrinth?" Hazel said. "I—I mean, if Pasiphaë really has reopened it, and I think she _has_. If the Labyrinth could take us anywhere—"

"It won't do anyone any good," I said. "She would need a guide—someone who could see through the Mist, in order to even find her way back to camp."

"Not to mention the only entrance to Camp Half-Blood through the Labyrinth was at Zeus' Fist," Annabeth said, "Even if the entrance still opened there, I think it might be more logical to have it returned at Half-Blood Hill—the main entrance of the camp where everyone can see it. Greek and Roman."

Reyna nodded. "That would be a better location. So any other ideas?"

"What about Gyges and Cottus?" Annabeth asked.

"Sorry, but no can do," Gyges said. "Cottus and I been talking, and we decided to join Briares and help Triton in Atlanta."

"Then when we're done, we'll return to Athens to help with the final battle," Cottus said.

As much as I didn't want to see those two go, I agreed. Besides, I'm sure Briares would want to see his brothers after so long. Not to mention the way Hecate brought up Atlanta made it clear their job from here on is not to stop the war between Greeks or Romans.

"I could go," Frank offered, not sounding very happy about it. "Maybe I can use my family gift to carry it—"

"No, Frank Zhang." Reyna gavbe him a weary smile. "I hope we will work side by side in the future , but for now your place is with this crew of this ship. You are one of the seven of the prophecy."

"I'm not," Nico said.

"Neither am I," Calypso said.

We stopped eating and turned to Nico and Calypso.

"I'll go with Reyna," Nico said. "I can transport the statue with shadow travel."

"I can also support them incase Gaea sends a giant after us," Calypso said.

Leo squirmed a bit. "Calypso, are you sure?"

Calypso kissed Leo and replied, "I'm sure. Besides, this is another way to make up for my past mistakes."

I couldn't help but smile. I was glad that Calypso found true love with someone, especially someone who is as available as Leo.

"We will have to make short jumps—a few hundred miles a night when the shadows are visible. Even with that I won't be in any fighting condition," Nico said. "It might be for the best to have a former Titaness on our side."

Reyna had an excellent poker face. She studied,us, but betraying none of her own thoughts. "Any objections?"

"No, but—" Frank started, "Maybe Coach Hedge should go with them. He's a good fighter and a certified protector. He'll get the job done."

"A faun," Reyna said.

"Satyr!" barked the coach. "And, yeah I'll go. Besides when you get to Camp Half-Blood, you'll need somebody with connections and diplomatic skills to keep. The Greeks from attacking you. Just let me go make a call—er, I mean, I get my baseball bat."

He got up and shot Frank an unspoken message I couldn't quite read. Despite the fact that he'd just volunteered for a likely suicide mission, the coach looked _grateful_. He jogged toward the ship's ladder, tapping his hooves together like an excited satyr.

Nico rose. "I should go, too, and rest before the first passage. We'll meet at the statue at sunset.

Once he was gone, Hazel frowned. "He's acting strangely. I'm not sure he's thinking this through."

"He'll be okay," Jason said.

"I hope you're right." She passed her hand over the ground. Diamonds broke the surface—a glittering milky way of stones. I still can't believe Hazel manage to master Mist Manipulation all on her own while I was in Tartarus. I hate to admit it, but from what I heard Hazel might be better at it than me.

"We are at another crossroads," Hazel continued. "The Athena Parthenos goes west. The _Argo II_ goes east. I hope we chose correctly."

I'm hoping the same thing. It seems we are going to where Gaea expect us. But if we turn back now, Gaea will find another way to wake up. And with the Fates unaffected by the Civil War back home, then I'm sure that they will make sure we follow our destiny.

The mood of the group right now became as gloomy as Tartarus' air, until Piper broke the tension.

"Well!" She sheathed her blade and patted her cornucopia. "Good picnic. Who wants desert?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Well I checked this time and there's only one chapter left. Yes, I'm sending off Calypso, but it's part of my plan.


	78. Percy's POV Part XVIII

**A/N** **(I recommend reading this):** I'm going to MAKE THIS CLEAR. Just like I mention on my bio page about every other fanfiction I done: I DON'T OWN THE PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIAN SERIES OR IT'S CHARACTERS as the rights goes to Rick Rioran. Also I suggest you guys start paying attention to the Author notes and my warnings that I left on EVERY chapter of EVERY story.

Sorry if this chapter is too much like the book.

Due to the limited number of characters posted, I'm forced to post only the names of the characters telling their tales in this story. When I get to the House of Hades and Blood of Olympus, I'll list off the first four characters listed in the order they tell their tales. I'll post the pairings if the two of the four characters listed are a pair. Other than that, the Pairings stay the same for this story.

Jason x Piper  
Percy x Annabeth  
Frank x Hazel  
Leo X Calypso

If you haven't figured it out, each of the members of the Prophecy of Seven practically has a position. Keep in mind in the original series Juno started this when she told Percy he was the glue that holds the group together, so I thought to give the rest a title. But no matter what title they have they still depend on each other. Titles will be added for some as the series continue

 **Jason:** Leader of the Group  
 **Piper:** Peacekeeper  
 **Leo:** Mechanic, Admiral, and Seventh Wheel (by Nemesis)  
 **Percy:** Glue that holds everyone together  
 **Hazel:** Mist Manipulator  
 **Frank:** Muscles and Praetor  
 **Annabeth:** Battle Strategist and Consultant

Lastly I want to make clear that once 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus' is done I won't start immediately on 'The tales of...' version of the Trials of Apollo _until_ that part of the Percy Jackson series is done. Just as I waited for the end of the Blood of Olympus to start 'The Tales of...' series. By waiting until that series ends, it might help me come up with something to add to it.

 **Warning:** Certain ancient Greek names matches words use of foul language but no foul language was intentionally used. Also I dropped the '& the Olympians' in 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon & the Olympians' as well as replaced the '&' with ':' in the short stories of that part of the series. So if you haven't read them yet read before reading this story as stuff that happened in them will be mentioned:

 **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Early Adventures  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Lightning Thief  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Sea of Monsters  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Titan's Curse  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Magical Labyrinth  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Stolen Chariot  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Sword of Hades  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Bronze Dragon  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: The Last Olympian  
** **The Tales of the Son of Poseidon: the Staff of Hermes  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Quest for Buford  
** **The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune  
The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena**

Lastly, any one who wants to do a Demigods and Olympian reads story using 'The Tales of the Son of Poseidon' is allowed _as long as_ you inform me about it.

 **Full Summary of this chapter:** Separated from their friends, Percy and Annabeth must travel through Tartarus against all odds to find the Doors of Death while facing monsters, Titans, and all sorts of enemies of the gods with a help of an amnesiac Titan and Rogue Giant. Meanwhile Argo II must find away to make it to the house of Hades is at while facing all sorts of new trouble and making new allies along the way. This is the Tales of the Prophecy of Seven.

* * *

 **Percy's POV Part XVIII**

Gyges and Cottus left after desserts, and we send them a farewell meeting—except for Nico who slept.

After that Leo and Calypso went on a private date before Calypso leaves on this dangerous quest. Practically we all spend the time off with our dates.

At sunset, I found Nico tying ropes around the pedestal of the Athena Parthenos. He insisted of doing this himself even before Gyges and Cottus left.

"Thank you," I said.

Nico frowned. "What for?"

"You promised to lead the others to the House of Hades," I said. "You did it."

Nico tied the ends of the rope together, making a halter. "Yeah, well, I did make that oath."

"But you didn't have to," I said, "Also Bob told me about your visit."

I told Nico about what Bob told me and how Bob still helped us cause of it.

"You help convince Bob that he didn't have to be his old self," I said.

"Yeah, well," Nico said, "not giving people a second thought can be dangerous."

Nico's voice was steely and guarded, which was nothing like the way he behaved after the Titan War. I wonder if Nico had his own dark thoughts lingering him when he was in Tartarus.

"I need to finish this," Nico sad. "If you can give me some space."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay," I stepped back while Nico took up the slack of his ropes. He slipped them over his shoulder as if Athena Parthenos were a giant backpack.

Annabeth walked up the hill to join us. She took my hand, which always made me feel better even when I'm not upset.

"Good luck," she told Nico.

"Yeah." He didn't meet her eyes. "You too."

A minute later, Reyna Calypso and Coach hedge arrived. They were dressed in armor, including Calypso. I guess Leo been working on Calypso. Calypso was even holding a large bag that seem to be full with something big and round.I didn't see Aurum or Argentum, but I guess they were around somewhere.

Calypso gave Leo one last kiss. "Try not to kill yourself."

"I won't," He said, "The sphere should activate when the second one is within a hundred mile radius. When it does, you know we're close."

Calypso nodded in understanding.

Reyna gave Annabeth a hug. "Three is normally a safe number, but hopefully with the four of us we will succeed."

"I know you will," Annabeth said. "Besides I once led a group of four on a quest and we all made it out with two more."

Coach Hedge shouldered his baseball bat. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm going to get to cam and see my baby! Uh, I mean I'm going to get this baby to camp!" He patted the leg of the Athena Parthenos.

"All right," said Nico. "Grab the ropes please. Here we go"

Reyna and Hedge took hold. The air darkened. The Athena Parthenos collapsed into its own shadow and disappeared along with its three escorts.

…

The _Argo II_ sailed after night.

We veered southwest until we reached the coast, then splashed down in the Ionian Sea. I was relieved to feel the waves beneath me again.

It would have been a shorter trip to Athens over land, but after the crew's experience with mountain spirits in Italy, we'd decided not to fly over Gaea's territory any more than we had to. We would sail around the Greek mainland, following the routes that the Greek heroes had taken in ancient times.

That was fine with me. I loved being back in my dad's elements—with the fresh air in my lungs and salty spray on my arms. But there was something I need to do first.

As we left, I asked Piper for a small favor. At first she was confused about it, but when I explained why, she agreed.

Now I walked up to Annabeth who was at the starboard rail petting Small Bob, most likely waiting for me. I pressed next to her and handed out a cupcake with orange frosting.

"Happy Late Birthday!" I said.

Annabeth turned to me in surprise. "What?"

"Happy late birthday," I said as I handed her the piece of cake, "Six days ago you turned seventeen, if I remember correctly."

Annabeth was confused at first, but then she gave me a big kiss similar to the one she gave me for my sixteenth birthday last summer.

"Thanks, Percy," Annabeth said. "You didn't have to go into the trouble though."

"I know, but after the day we had, I figured we both earn something to celebrate about," I said.

"So did you make this yourself?" Annabeth asked.

"Uh… actually no. I kind of asked Piper to produce one from her Cornucopia," I replied honestly. "I know it's not as special as the one you made me but—"

Annabeth shut me up with another kiss. "It's okay. I love it either way, because you put much thought behind it."

I smiled and we stood arm to arm and looked at the night sky.

I couldn't help but wonder where Nico, Reyna, Hedge, and Calypso were now, and how long will it take them to make it back if they survive. Romans were probably drawing battle lines right now, encircling Camp Half-Blood as we speak and we only have fourteen days to reach Athens.

In the end, the war would be decided.

Over in the Quarter deck I could hear Leo whistling happily as he twiddled with one of his spheres. On the Amidships, Piper and Hazel practice their swordplay, gold and bronze blades ringing in the night. Jason and Frank stood at the helm, talking in low tones—maybe telling stories of the legion, or sharing thoughts on being praetor.

"We got a good crew," I said.

"And the best of friends," Annabeth said. "I just wish…"

"I know," I said, hugging her tightly, "I miss them too."

Small Bob meowed as if reminding us he was here too.

"We know, Small Bob, you miss them too," I said scratching the spacti-cat behind the ear.

I looked up in the sky and study the constellations that I learned long time ago. To my amazement, a familiar constellation was in the sky: a girl with a bow and quiver who looks like she was running across the sky. It was as if the gods had staged this so we could complete Bob's promise.

"Percy," Annabeth said.

"I see her," I said, "Zoë Nightshade, your grandfather: Bob—formally known as Iapetus—says hello!"

And with that the _Argo II_ sailed into the night peacefully.

* * *

 **A/N:** And with that, I'm done. Thank you to all my readers for reading up to this point! Just so you know after the next story the main 'The Tales of...' Series will be on Hiatus until the Trials of Apollo series is complete, and that means every book in that series is published and read by me. I still will do the 'The Tales of...' version of the crossover between Kane Chronicles and Percy Jackson though. But as for tomorrow, I'm taking another break. But until my break is done, here's a sneak peak of the next story 'The Tales of the Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus'

 **Summary:** With Reyna Calypso Nico and Hedge taking the Athena's Parthenos back to camp half-blood and the Argo II racing to Athens for the battle against the giants, its a race against time to save the world and both camps. The only problem is that Gaea is trying everything in her power to stop the one thing that could stop her plans and get the blood of a male and female demigod she needs to wake up. Told in the tales of Nico, Reyna, Piper, Leo, and Jason


End file.
